Winter Wonderland
by Perky-Thief
Summary: It's Christmas time in the Feudal Era. What will happen when Inuyasha insults Kagome's gift? How will she react? Rated R for some language and sexual content.
1. Christmas & Presents

Hey guys, this is my first fanfic. Basically, Kagome's in the Feudal Era for her Christmas and she brought along gifts for everyone. They're all appreciative of them, except Inuyasha.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Christmas & Presents

Pairings: Inuyasha & KagomeMiroku & Sango

Please R&R. Any errors reported will be looked at and regarded.

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

It was an icy winter night. The crystalline figures of snowflakes paraded down from the sky like little soldiers marching gracefully into battle. It was Christmas Eve; a time when all things, good or bad, can be blessed with something magical.

Our group was sitting huddled by a fire outside of Kaede's hut roasting marshmallows. Kagome had just gotten back from her time, bringing gifts for all of her friends from her Mom, Souta, and Grandpa.

Miroku and Sango were sitting next to each other on a log with Kirara curled up peacefully in a little ball at Sango's feet. Kagome sat upon a large rock with Shippo squished onto her lap and a warm fuzzy blanket thrown around them. Inuyasha rested quietly by her feet, sitting Indian-style with both hands shoved in his haori. Kaede, meanwhile, was inside her hut finishing packing up a large bird-type creature that the group had eaten for dinner.

All discarded weapons, staffs, and backpacks were thrown in a pile by the entrance of the hut, the threat of being attacked feeling lessened due to the joyous mood which was bestowed upon everyone.

After a few moments of a long comfortable silence, Kagome stood up staring at her wristwatch. "Everyone," she shouted joyously. "It is now officially Christmas. Time to open up your gifts." She ran into the hut and retrieved a large bag, bringing it to the middle of the group in front of the fire. A large basket covered in bright wrapping paper was handed to Shippo, which he received eagerly. Kagome handed Miroku a beautiful medium-sized box, and Sango two small parcels. "I hope you like them," she said with a gigantic smile spreading across her face.

"Wow!" Shippo seemed enthralled with the gift basket Kagome had given him. It was filled to the maximum with crayons, coloring books, small toys, and pocky. He grinned boyishly. "Gee, thanks, Kagome. You're the best."

Kagome smiled. "Thank you, Shippo." He responded by dashing inside the hut to play with his new things.

Meanwhile, Miroku had just unwrapped his gift of a new set of robes, which he was quite grateful for. Sango gasped as she saw the containers of shampoo and the beautiful set of combs Kagome had given her. "Oh, Kagome, these are too beautiful," she said pointing to the combs. "I can't accept these, they're too nice."

"Nonsense, Sango. I got them just for you. Go try them on."

"Thanks, Kagome. I think I will," Sango said, getting up to leave.

"I think I'll join you inside, it's much warmer anyway. Thank you, Kagome, these robes are much appreciated," Miroku said with a slight bow.

"No problem, just go and try those combs on, Sango, I want to see how they look on you."

Sango nodded and went inside with Miroku following suit.

Kagome turned towards Inuyasha, who seemed to have ignored the whole experience. Hesitating, Kagome reached into the bag to retrieve a tiny box wrapped in paper covered with white dogs. "Here," she said, inching towards him. "This is for you. I hope you like it."

Inuyasha stared at the present with disgust. "I suppose you want me to open it, huh?"

Irritation covered Kagome's façade, "well, that's usually the idea."

Inuyasha huffed. "Fine." He opened the gift roughly, throwing the paper into the fire. Inside the box was a hand-strung necklace with miniature glass beads woven around it. At the base of the necklace was a small locket with a picture of Inuyasha and Kagome together.

Inuyasha looked at the trinket for a moment before thrusting it back into the hands of Kagome. "Feh, I don't need this. Keep it for yourself." He quickly knew it was a mistake to say that, for he could now smell the salt of tears threatening to come out of Kagome's eyes.

She stood up and stared down at him in anger. "You know, fine. Next time I won't ever give you anything. You're an inconsiderate jerk who doesn't deserve to be treated with respect. I don't want anything to do with you." With that, she turned and walked off through the snow towards the forest.

At that moment, Miroku and Sango stepped out from the hut door only to see Kagome storm off in anger. Sango turned angrily to Inuyasha, "what did you say to her?" she accused.

Inuyasha snorted. "Feh. I didn't say nothing."

"Go after her, Inuyasha," Miroku shouted in an angry voice. "She'll freeze to death in weather like this."

"Good," Inuyasha smirked. "Maybe it'll teach the wench not to run off next ti-." He stopped short when he noticed the scary glares he was getting from both Sango and Miroku. They never got like that unless they were truly mad.

"Inuyasha," Sango practically growled. "Go after her, NOW!"

Inuyasha flinched. "Alright, alright. Gees, calm down, I'm going." He got up and left at a run towards the forest.

* * *

Once again, please Read and Review guys! It's well appriciated...

* * *


	2. Making Amends

Hey guys, its me, **Perky-Thief**. Guess what! Great news! I just got a 98 on my English Regents (second highest in my school, I might add ), I guess all this writing was good for something after all. Thanks for the reviews. Since I'm a first time writer on this site, I am amazed that I got any atall. :) I'm always very grateful for anything that anyone had to say. I've also made a point to write personal responses to any reviews written to me within the time between chapters. If you got any ideas on what I should make happen in the third chapter, pleazzze, let me know! 

This is chapter Two pf my hopefully on-going story, _Winter Wonderland_. Yeah, I know that the title's a little corny, but hey, what can I say...It fit.

Well anyway, I hope you like this chapter.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Making Amends

Pairings: Inuyasha & Kagome, Miroku & Sango, (maybe Rin & Sesshomaru.)

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

Inuyasha ran through his forest at an inhuman speed, figuring that the faster he found Kagome, the faster he could go back. She was easy enough to track, the smell of her perfume and scent of tears weren't scattered very far. It all led in one simple trail.

As her scent got stronger, Inuyasha recognized where he was running; she had headed towards the hot springs.

When he reached the hot springs, Inuyasha came to see her sitting on a large rock, dipping her feet into the soothing water, blissfully unaware of his presence. Tears slowly dripped down her face in a silent display. Only then did Inuyasha reap the effects of what he had said earlier. He hated it when girls cried; it made him feel guilty, even if he had done nothing at all. Silently, Inuyasha crept over to Kagome and sat behind her, she still being oblivious of his company.

"Kagome," he said in a soft voice.

Kagome twirled around, startled by the young hanyou's attendance. "Oh, it's you." Her voice held contempt. "What do you want?"

Inuyasha cringed at the tone of her voice. '_She must really be hurt_,' he thought. "Kagome," he started. "Please come back to camp. Everyone's worried about you."

Kagome laughed a bit. "Yeah, everyone but you. Why'd did you say those things to me. Honestly, you're so insensitive, Inuyasha. You can never say the right thing." Her tears had dissipated by now, leaving only puffy eyes and pink tinted cheeks.

'_So that's why she ran off_,' he pondered thoughtfully. '_I didn't think she'd actually take offense to what I said_.' Even though he was slightly offended by what she had said, Inuyasha knew that now was not the time to strike back with a rude retort. Instead, he decided that apologizing would be the best, although slightly degrading,start. "Kagome...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. Please forgive me." Inuyasha inched forward and stretched his arms around Kagome, enclosing her in his embrace. "Please know that I would never intentionally do anything to hurt you. I'm sorry." He reached into his haori and pulled out the necklace. "Look," he said, putting the necklace over his head. "See, I really do like it."

Kagome smiled. She sighed and slowly leaned into his hold. "Oh, Inuyasha. Thank you."

"For what?" Inuyasha asked, puzzled.

"For making me happy."

"Oh," Inuyasha said, still slightly confused. He slowly fingered the necklace around his neck. Changing the subject, he asked, "Did you make this yourself?"

Kagome smiled and sat up out of his grip. "Yeah. Do you like it?"

Inuyasha smirked. "Are you kidding? I love it. It's great, but…" A frown replaced Inuyasha's smile. "I don't have anything to give you."

Kagome's smile didn't falter once. "It's okay, Inuyasha. It doesn't matter to me. As long as you and the others are happy, then I'm happy." She paused for a moment. "The others…we should be getting back now."

"Feh," Inuyasha sneered. "That's right, wench. No doubt they must think you've been frozen solid." He stood up and hoped off the rock, walking back out of the clearing. "Come on, let's go, wench."

'That's my Inuyasha,' Kagome thought with a smile. She got up to follow him. "Calm down, I'm coming." Kagome ran to catch up with him. When Kagome reached him she slipped her arm within his. Much to her delight, he didn't sneer or pull away; he just hung on to her tighter.

Together, the two of them walked back to the camp site in happiness.

After few minutes of silence Kagome sneezed twice, earning a sneer from Inuyasha. "Yo, wench, what's the matter? You getting sick or something?"

Kagome shook her head. "No I am not getting sick. I'm fi-" she cut herself off with a loud sneeze, which gained her a scoff.

"Yeah right," Inuyasha said. "Come on, wench," he said while picking her up bridal style. "You're going home now."

"Inuyasha," Kagome protested rather loudly. "I am not. I told my mom that I'd stay in this era." She began pounding his shoulder in an attempt to make him drop her. Despite Kagome's efforts, Inuyasha's grip only tightened around her more.

"Feh," Inuyasha stated, picking up his pace. "You think that a little hitting is going to stop me? Fat chance!" He started to run now, dashing through the winding paths and into the open field which led to the Bone Eater's Well.

Inuyasha stepped onto the snow-covered ledge, pushing him self over the edge while trying to keep a strong hold on the now thrashing Kagome.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled. "put me down now! I'm fine; I'm not sick. Inuyasha, no stop-" Kagome's shouts were muffled by the bright light they encountered when crossing dimension's into the other world.

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnEs**

**InuandKagforever** - Well just like you asked for, Inuyasha realized his mistakes, kinda...

**Obliviandragon** - Don't worry about it, I'll definately keep going.

**Lyn** - No problem, Chapter 3 is coming soon.

**Joeys-Babygirl** - Thanks. I'm glad that I can keep people hooked and interested.


	3. Welcome Home!

**Perky-Thief** here! Thanks again for the reviews. I'll still respond to them at the bottom if I get enough. Please write me reviews. Anyway, here's Chapter 3, I hope ya like it.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Welcome Home!

Pairings: Inuyasha & Kagome, Miroku & Sango, (maybe Rin & Sesshomaru, what do you think?)

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

As soon as they reached the Present, Inuyasha jumped out of the Well with Kagome still struggling fiercely in his arms. As he crossed the snow covered threshold to Kagome's house, her weight was steadily pushing him down deeper into the snow, the freezing cold ice stinging his feet at the contact. Yet he refused to release Kagome until she was safe and warm inside her own home. She was too precious a jewel to him to be left sick and almost frozen to death by walking through bottomless snow.

"Inuyasha," Kagome moaned, "let's go back. Please! What if the others are worried? Huh! What about that? Don't you care about their feelings?"

"Feh. Don't worry about it, wench. Sango and Miroku both know you're with me. They won't worry."

Kagome placed her arms across her chest and huffed. "You sound so confident."

"That's because I'm right and you know it," he retorted smugly. Inuyasha reached he door and pulled it open, he stepped inside. "Hello! Mrs. Higurashi," Inuyasha practically shouted. "Anybody home? Hello?"

Kagome rolled her eyes and looked at him dumbly. "I already told you, baka. They aren't home; they went to visit my Aunt Lekke in Kyoto. Gees, you never listen to me…"

"Shut up!" Inuyasha yelled at her. "You should consider yourself lucky that I care enough to even do this."

Kagome's eyes nearly popped out. "_Lucky_!" she screamed incredulously. "Lucky! I didn't even want to come here. _You're_ the one who dragged me from your time to come here! Usually you never want me staying in this era for more than a day." Se began to get even more restless. "Will you just PUT ME DOWN?"

Inuyasha's left ear started to twitch a little. With Kagome still in his arms, the obviously annoyed hanyou stomped through the house and up the stairs to Kagome's room. Upon reaching the door, he kicked it open and stepped in. At the foot of her bed, Inuyasha dropped her unceremoniously onto the floor, right in front of the mattress.

She landed on the ground with a small thud, "Ow! Inuyasha, that hurt," she whined.

Inuyasha smirked and folded his arms. "Well, it serves you right. Maybe if you weren't thrashing around like a damn animal, I wouldn't have dropped you."

Kagome stood up, face to face with him. "Hmph, yeah right! If that's the case, then why didn't you just drop me outside! You know perfectly well that I was being much worse out there," she said while pointing at her closed window. "You waited for the right moment when you could drop me on a hard wood floor."

"Oh yeah," Inuyasha said in a bored voice. "Well, _if that's the case,_ then maybe I should have dropped you outside, in the _ice cold snow._"

Kagome stopped seething and thought for a second. '_Oh, that's right; he didn't drop in the snow… Heh, my bad_.' She frowned and sat down on her bed. "Hmph, still it doesn't make it right to just drop me like that."

Inuyasha chuckled a bit. "Just shut up and get into bed, wench. And don't move!" he added when he saw her about ready to get up.

Kagome's jaw went slack. But rather than starting another argument, Kagome simply complied with what he asked. As she kicked off her shoes and climbed into bed she saw Inuyasha moving towards her door. Before Kagome could stop herself, she blurted out, "Wait, where are you going?"

Smirking, Inuyasha turned and said, "Relax, wench. I'm just going downstairs for a minute. I'll be right back."

Nodding, Kagome laid back on her pillows as Inuyasha left the room. It was late, nearly 1:00 am. 'Sango, Shippo and Miroku are all probably asleep by now,' Kagome thought with a smile. 'I hope they're okay.' Before she could contemplate on it anymore, Kagome felt overcome with sleepiness. Slowly, she shut her eyes and let the dreams consume her.

**Meanwhile - Back in the Feudal Era**

The fire had slowly died out; only the softly glowing red embers were left within the heaps of gray ash. Kaede and Shippo had long since gone to bed and only Miroku remained up, waiting for Sango to return with Kirara. After a while, when Inuyasha had not come back with Kagome, Sango and Kirara went out to look for them.

But Miroku did not have to wait long, for Sango and her, now pint-sized, neko-youkai entered the hut at that particular moment, shivering due to the rapid change of temperature. "Well?" he asked when he didn't see either Kagome or Inuyasha following Sango. "Where are they? Did you find them?"

Sango brushed the remaining snow off of her hair and armor as she sat down next to the monk on the mat. "From what it looks like," Sango began. "I think they've gone to Kagome's era. There are foot prints leading from the hot springs all the way to the Well."

Relief spread through the monk. "Well that's good. At least we know they are safe in Kagome's time."

Removing her weapons from her armor set, Sango sighed loudly.

"Why what's wrong, my dear Sango," Miroku asked in concern.

"Well, there goes our Christmas," Sango said, setting her sword and Hirakotsu down on the ground. "It's just that Kagome had wanted us all to be together for Christmas and look where we are, we're separated from each other by 500 years." She sighed once more, bringing her hands to her temples. "I feel bad only because I know this wasn't how she wanted it to be."

Miroku smiled suspiciously, "Fear not, darling Sango, it's alright. You still have me. We'll spend our Christmas together." He carefully and slowly inched his right hand closer to her behind and, when he was near enough, he clamped on and gave it a quick, firm squeeze.

Sango stiffened at the contact; surprised at his boldness and pure lecherous abilities, on Christmas of all nights.

She turned around in one quick fluid motion and the only sounds that could be heard for miles were those of her hand striking hard on the monk's skin and the loud feminine cry of "Hentai!"

* * *

I want at least 10 reviews till I put in the next chapter, sry, gotta set standards somewhere

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnEs**

**Lyn** - Thanks for your support. I'll definatley write some more.

**InuandKagForever** - Thank you. I'm glad I got that high mark too. It made my day. I'm glad that you like English, it is the best subject, don't ever lose the joy you feel for writing. Promise me that! Don't worry, I have some really good romance scenes planned, they'll be put in soon.

**Joeys-Babygirl** - Thanks! It's really great when I can keep a reader hooked in with suspense.


	4. You'll Understand Some Day

Yo, **Perky-Thief** here! Wow, I'm so happy! I actually got 10 reviews like I asked for:) And I'm even more happy that they were all positive! Sorry, I'm in such a good mood that I could share my joy with everyone; my step-brother, Jayson, just got into the college that he wanted to go to. And, (now I know this is pathetic but), the guy that I like has been paying so much attention to me that I could just die!

Sorry, I know you don't want to hear about my life... So well, back to the story! I know that some of you (you know who I'm talking about) are asking for romance scenes. Well don't worry, they're coming up...just not in _this _chapter. I'm almost 99 positive that they'll be in the next one, though.

Any way, here's Chapter 4. I hope you like! Please RR.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: You'll Understand Some Day

Pairings: Inuyasha Kagome, Miroku Sango

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

Kagome awoke with the fluttering of soft eyelashes revealing her chocolate eyes. At first it didn't register as to where she was. But after blinking a few times, it occurred to her that she was in her own room, covers snuggling her up to her neck. Kagome sighed, enjoying the protectiveness that the warmth surrounding her granted.

Turning over on her side, she looked at the edge of the bed to find a small tray table standing there with a bowl of steaming ramen sitting on top. Kagome wondered where it could have come from, and then laughed mentally at the realization that Inuyasha must have made her his favorite food.

'_Might as well try it_,' she thought with a grimace, an apprehensive look dawning upon her features. She leaned over the table and dipped the spoon into the steaming hot liquid, realizing the dry taste in her mouth for the first time. She swallowed with a loud 'gulp.' "Not bad," Kagome said aloud as she slurped up a long chicken-flavored noodle. As much as she wanted to finish the small meal, she could feel that her stomach wouldn't be able to endure the broiling broth.

Pushing it aside, she fell back onto her pillows with a flop. Kagome felt exhausted, like her body had been drained of all its energy. Closing her eyes, she prayed to Kami to grant her even the littlest bit of strength. Just when peace started flowing through her body, there was a soft knock on her door.

Kagome propped herself up on her pillows and looked towards her door. "Come in," she said.

Inuyasha walked in with his arms tucked into his haori. "Lie down, wench. You should still be asleep." He put his hand to her forehead, and then to his own. "Yup," Inuyasha said. "You definitely have a fever."

A smile crept onto Kagome's face. "Inuyasha… you didn't have to do this."

"Feh, do what, wench?"

"Take me home and make me ramen like this. You didn't have to do it."

Inuyasha frowned. "Why," he asked. "You don't like it?" He was growling a bit it offense now.

"No!" Kagome said quickly, defending herself. "Of course I like it. I appreciate every single thing you've done for me. I was just saying that… it's really…nice. Thank you." She finished off in a meek little voice, her face crimson with embarrassment.

Inuyasha's face lightened a little after she spoke. He walked over to the bed and laid down next to her. "Merry Christmas, Kagome," he whispered. Feeling bold, he placed his left arm around her, pulling her close to him.

Kagome stiffen from the close contact at first. It took maybe about 30 seconds before she began to relax and lean herself against him. With a deep sigh, Kagome slowly closed her eyes and placed an arm across his chest. "Merry Christmas, Inuyasha," she answered, her voice husky with tiredness. Slowly, very slowly, she fell into a calm sleep while lying across him.

Together, the two of them lay there in a peaceful stillness. Neither one of them wanted to speak and ruin the tranquil silence; they both refused to put away from each other and severe this happy feeling.

What seemed like blissful hours was, in reality, only minutes. It was only when Inuyasha turned his head to look at the clock did he realize that it was already noon. '_Kagome must have really been tired last night to have slept away the whole morning_,' Inuyasha thought to himself. He decided that he had better go back to his era, only for an hour at most. '_Sango and Miroku at least deserve to know that Kagome's sick_.'

Being careful, Inuyasha detangled himself from Kagome's sleeping form. He opened the window and was half way out, when heard Kagome mumble a bit in her sleep. "Better leave a note," he said aloud in a whisper.

Inuyasha walked over to her desk and found one of her old test-thingy's. "This will do," he said. His eyes scanned the large piece of furniture until he found a pen, with which quickly scribbled his soon-to-be whereabouts.

After placing the note in a place where he was sure she would find it, Inuyasha jumped out the window and onto the roof, closing it before hoping down to the ground. Once there, he made a run to the shrine where the Well was hidden. Moments later, Inuyasha found himself in the Feudal Era once again.

He immediately went off in search for the monk and demon slayer. Upon coming to the village, Inuyasha noticed Kaede working in the fields; trying to brush away some of the snow off of her herbs.

"Good morning, Inuyasha," Kaede said in her raspy tone. "Tell me, what brings ye here today? Were you not with Kagome in her time? Miroku told me you were. Was he wrong?"

"Yeah I was," Inuyasha replied impatiently. "But Kagome's sick. And speaking of the monk, where is he?"

Kaede's face fell slightly. "Oh, how unfortunate. Does she need any herbs?"

"No, she doesn't, Kagome's staying in her time till she's better. Now tell me, where's the damn monk?" Inuyasha was getting annoyed.

Kaede looked soundly at him, her face neither wavering nor faltering. "Ye need's patience, Inuyasha. Do not let one's frustrations get the best of them."

A low growl escaped Inuyasha's throat. The old woman was really starting to tick him off now. "Kaede…" he said slowly. "Tell me where Miroku is or-"

"Inuyasha!" The loud voices of the approaching monk and demon slayer cut him short of what he was saying.

Inuyasha looked at the advancing pair of warriors with little patience in his eyes. "It's about time you two got here," he growled. "I was just about to go out and search for you myself."

Sango suddenly had a deep look of concern etched across her face. Taking a step closer, she asked, "What's wrong? Is everything alright? Where's Kagome, why isn't she with you?" Her questions began spilling out of her mouth faster than most could catch them.

The pace of Sango's voice had Inuyasha's ears pressed tightly against his scalp. "Grr, will you shut up, Sango."

At the harsh sound of Inuyasha's voice, the demon slayer snapped her jaw up and put a halt to her incessant interrogation. After a moment, she opened her mouth to speak again, "But what-"

Miroku put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a tiny grip. "Calm down, Sango," he said in a reassuring voice. "I'm sure Inuyasha has answers to_ all_ of your questions. Just give him a second. I'm sure that if Kagome isn't with Inuyasha, then there's a valid reason why, _right_ Inuyasha?" Miroku said the last part of his statement in a form that could be classified as more of a demand then a question.

"Feh," Inuyasha crossed his arms and huffed. "I don't know. Maybe if you all shut the hell up for a damn _second_, I could give somebody an explanation." Both Sango and Miroku, as well as Kaede, were silent, waiting for Inuyasha to answer the issues, which Sango so lovingly had brought up moments before.

Inuyasha took a breath. "Alright look," he began. "Nothing's wrong; everything's fine. Kagome's just sick, she has a slight fever. She's in her time right now. That's why she's not with me. I'm making her stay there until she's completely better."

Sango cocked her head and looked at him strangely. "Wow, Inuyasha," was all she said.

"What?" Inuyasha asked, somewhat confused by her statement.

Sango shook her head, waving her statement off. "Oh nothing. It's just that…that's so unlike you."

Inuyasha looked offended. "What's unlike me?" he demanded.

"It's nothing really," Sango said while folding her arms. "It's just the fact that you rarely ever let her go home, even for a day." She brushed a little snow off of her shoulder. "And now you're refusing to let her leave until she's better."

Inuyasha scowled. "So…what does it matter? I think you're all forgetting that without Kagome, we have no way to find the Jewel Shards," he said matter-of-factly.

A soft chuckle came from Miroku. "Really, Inuyasha? Are you sure that's the only reason you care about this so much? Hmm?" A lecherous grin was pasted on the monks face.

"Feh, I don't know what you're talking about, Miroku." Inuyasha's head was turned and arms crossed.

"What ever you say, Inuyasha," Sango said. She too, like Miroku, had a smirk glued to her face, and Inuyasha was on the receiving ends of these grins.

The fact that everyone stared at him, as though they knew something that he didn't, put Inuyasha on edge a little. The smirks and lecherous smiles were slowly making Inuyasha feel very nervous. "What are you all looking at me like that for?" he shouted. "Stop staring!"

Sango and Miroku backed off, putting their hands over their mouths to stifle the laughter. "You mean you really don't see it, Inuyasha? You haven't noticed yet?" Miroku asked incredulously.

"See what!" Inuyasha yelled, frustrated beyond belief. He was extremely close to pulling out his hair in aggravation and annoyance.

Hearing enough, Kaede stepped forward. "Inuyasha," she said, looking him directly in the face. "Remember what I said about patience. Though ye may not understand now, it will all become clear to thee soon enough." She reached into her hakama (AN: her red pants) and retrieved a small brown pouch. "Here," she said, handing the pouch to Inuyasha. "Inside this are crushedClover and Baby's Breath. Mix them with warm water and give them to Lady Kagome."

Inuyasha smiled genuinely. He took the small bag and placed it into his haori. With a quick bow of his head, he said, "Thanks, Kaede. I owe you one."

Just as Inuyasha turned around to sprint to the Well, Kaede said, "Wait a minute, Inuyasha."

"What now, old hag," he said rudely.

Kaede choose to ignore the comment. "Heed my words, boy. I fear for the future." She looked at him with a wise expression engraved in her face. "There is a dark haze ahead. I know not yet what this means, but soon it will be elucidated for all to see. Do not lose Kagome. Do not let her fade away into the darkness. She holds the key to many hearts and sanities." She paused. "Heed my words, Inuyasha." With that, she turned away and walked towards her hut.

Miroku and Sango looked towards Inuyasha. "What was that all about?" they asked.

Inuyasha simply stood there looking puzzled. "I have no idea." He glanced down into his haori and noticed the small brown bag. "Kagome…" he muttered whisper-like. "Sorry, guys," he said more loudly. "Kagome's waiting. I don't want her to wake up and find me gone." On that final note, Inuyasha left on a run to the Well, racing to get back to Kagome.

* * *

Remember, keep reviewing and I'll keep updating. I already have the 5th chapter written, but I want...let's see...um, at least 15 reviews.

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnEs**

**Anime-Devil-101** - Thanks, Devil! Thanx for the Congrats. Here's your update, just remember to review again (growls) or else...just joking! Hope you enjoyed!

**InuandKagforever** - Good! ALWAYS LOVE WRITING! I'm glad that you like the fact that i can update fast, though I may have to stop that. I'm updating faster than I can write them. It's getting difficult, I'll manage, though. (thanks for the YAH!) lol

**Brigurl** - Thanx, now I'll just have to keep you hooked :)

**someone** - Hey, glad you loved them! Let me know if you love this one too.

**Devils-Play** - glad ya like it:)


	5. Medicine

Hey, **Perky-Thief** here again. I love you all so much for all the reviews I'm getting. There are so many, I think I have around 24 right now, but please keep 'em coimng. Like I promised, there's a short romance scene in this one between our two favorite character. Hopefully, I'll get 30 reviews by the time I update. Oh, and I won't be able to update till Sunday night, (my computer's getting repairs on Saturday.) Sorry! But anyway I hope you like this chapter.

Remember, Please RR:)

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Medicine

Pairings: Inuyasha Kagome, Miroku Sango

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

"Inuyasha," the soft noise uttered from Kagome's lips was barely audible, but none the less, it was said. She rolled over, subconsciously expecting to feel the warmth of another body, and when she didn't, it aroused her from her slumber. "Inuyasha?" Kagome questioned aloud, half expecting him to answer her. But when the room stayed silent, she knew he was not there.

Kagome stepped out of bed, carefully sidestepping the tray table Inuyasha had put there earlier. She glanced at her clock and her eyes became saucers. "It's 2 o'clock already! Wow, I definitely am sick." As she stumbled around the room, getting the feeling back in her feet, Kagome noticed a small placed very stupidly on the bed. '_Huh? What's this?_' She quickly deciphered that it was a note or letter of some kind. "Who would be stupid enough to put a note on a bed," Kagome asked herself. Only then did she realize whom it was from. It said,

Dear Kagome,

Went to see Sango and Miroku to tell them you're sick. If you need me, just know that I'll be back in a little bit. Don't go outside and keep the windows shut, I'll come in downstairs. Stay warm and have lots of ramen, though not too much.

Inuyasha

p.s. **GET BACK IN BED NOW, KAGOME!**

"Hmph," Kagome huffed. "How does he do that? 'Get back in bed, Kagome,'" she mocked. "Hmph, yeah right. Like I'm gonna stay stuffed under a blanket all day, please."

Kagome grabbed her pink bathrobe and put it on. "Oh, well," she sighed. "If I have to stay cooped up like this, I might as well relax."

Kagome left her room and walked down the hall to her bathroom. Once inside, she removed the robe and stripped the confines of her clothing. She turned the taps onto hot and waited for the tub to fill. "Hmm," she said. "I wonder where Inuyasha is right now…"

**Meanwhile - Outside**

Inuyasha had just exited the Well in Kagome's time and currently stood beside it for a moment, shaking all the excess snow out of his long silver hair. "Grr," he grumbled. "Stupid snow, it gets everywhere. Water and dirt I can handle, maybe even rocks and dust, but I _hate_ snow."

After removing the explicitly hated cold powder from his hair, Inuyasha made his way towards the house. He stopped in front of Kagome's window and made ready to jump, but then remembered his note to Kagome. '_Oh yeah_,' Inuyasha thought. '_Well, it's probably locked anyhow_.'

He once remembered Kagome telling him about something called a spare key; she used it _a while ago to get into the house when it was locked_. '_Damn, where's that fucking key_,' Inuyasha thought. 'I know the damn thing's here somewhere.' He had searched all over the back porch, simply to find nothing. In his annoyance, Inuyasha whirled around and knocked over a flower pot, only to discover the spare key lying underneath.

"Ha," an arrogant smile appeared on his face. "I knew I'd find it," he said out loud to no one in particular.

He walked up to the door, still feeling very supercilious about himself. Inuyasha stretched his hand out and unlocked the door, walking into the silent house.

The first thing Inuyasha did was go to the kitchen. He pulled out the small bag that Kaede had given him. Intent on making Kagome better, he followed Kaede's instructions to the fullest, first by getting some water and heating it up. When the water was quite hot, Inuyasha added the crushed herbs, stirring them in entirely.

When it seemed that most of the crushed leaves looked dissolved, Inuyasha took the now luke-warm mixture and poured it into a cup. "Good," he said to himself. "Now to bring it to Kagome."

He walked up the stairs and straight past the bathroom door, completely oblivious of Kagome whereabouts. The house was very quiet, the only noises coming from the outside. Inuyasha strolled into her room expecting to see her asleep in bed. But what he saw was an empty bed with the covers overthrown.

'_Huh_,' Inuyasha thought. '_Maybe she didn't find the note_.' As he turned around he saw the note lying on her desk. A growl deep within his throat slowly began to surface. This discovery proved to him that she actually had seen what he wrote, and was just being rebellious by not listening. "Grr, stupid wench," he growled. "Can't even listen to a simple fucking note!"

It was then that he first heard a soft sigh. He sniffed the air; it was a sigh that no doubt was a woman's. Following where the sound was uttered, it led him to a large wooden door. Being the type of person that he was, Inuyasha didn't think twice about knocking. Instead, he just barged in with a loud kick to the door, though his eyes were not quite prepared for the sight which greeted him next. It was Kagome, fully naked and half submerged into a cream porcelain tub with a hazy mist encasing the room.

Inuyasha's immediate reaction was to place his clawed hands over his face. But he found his whole body to be numb. Though the bathroom had a light fog covering it, Inuyasha was still able to make out her face, and it looked like her eyes were closed. His mind told him to leave, but his heart was contradicting it. And it seemed as though his heart won; his feet were completely paralyzed.

A dry taste appeared in Inuyasha's mouth when he tried to speak. His vocal chords wouldn't work and his eyes wouldn't move. They were glued to Kagome's immersed form.

It was then that Inuyasha began to take in what a beautiful figure she had. Her legs were long and slender with a slight tan added to make them a darker color than natural. All of the walking they had done while shard searching gave Kagome a little muscle on her calves. As Inuyasha's eyes trailed up her body, they led to an incredibly attractive flat stomach, which was also the same color as her legs. Glancing up even more, his glance eventually reached her breasts – whoa there, Inuyasha – at this point Inuyasha had to turn away his out of embarrassment. At this point his breath had shifted from steady to a hasty pant in a matter of seconds. 'Wow it's hot in here,' thought Inuyasha, as he began to sweat rapidly. Hot spit suddenly appeared in his mouth, the need to speak becoming an ever growing challenge. At long last, it became too unbearable. "K-Ka-Kagome," Inuyasha stuttered out, his voice aching with every syllable.

Kagome abruptly became aware of his presence and with a startled yelp; she threw her arms across her chest in an attempt to cover herself. "Inuyasha," she screamed. "What are you doing? SIT!"

Inuyasha barely had time to gasp before his face hit the ceramic floor full-force. "Why…Kagome?" he asked in a muffled voice.

While his dace was down, Kagome jumped out of the tub and threw a towel around her body. "Why you ask," she yelled. "WHY! Because you came in her while I was trying to bathe, you baka. How could you? What could have possibly provoked you to do that? Don't you have any consideration for me? Didn't you ever think of knocking?" Her face was flustered and red; Inuyasha could tell she was mad.

Inuyasha's jaw went slack. "Of course I have consideration for you! Why do you think I even came in here! I was bringing you some of that damn medicine!" It was easy to tell who had the stronger lungs, because Inuyasha easily out-yelled Kagome.

"Oh," was all Kagome said.

Inuyasha sighed deeply and ran a hand through his hair. "And no, I didn't think of knocking. Next time I'll know." His voice now became very gentle. "I'm sorry, Kagome."

"It's alright," Kagome shifted her weight from one foot to the other nervously. "But, um…could you please get out now… I want to change."

Once again, Inuyasha's face became a nice shade of red. "Oh, sure," he said timidly. "Yeah, no problem." He stepped over a puddle of water and opened the door. When he was half-way out, he stuck his head back in and said, "I'll be waiting in your room, if you need me."

Kagome nodded. "Okay."

As soon as Inuyasha left the bathroom, Kagome sat down on top of the toilet seat and breathed a sigh of relief. '_Oh my God_,' she thought with a frown. '_That was so embarrassing._" Kagome put her hands on her face and ran her fingers through her damp hair. '_How could that have happened…well, it wasn't so bad. At least he didn't see me for too long-' _she suddenly stopped herself when she thought of that. '_Oh no, how long was he watching me? I didn't even hear him come. He probably saw everything_.' Just from thinking about, the color of her skin turned an even brighter shade of pink.

After getting over the initial shock of being seen in the nude by a boy her age, she got dressed in a pair of yellow pants and a sweatshirt. With her damp hair thrown into a bun, she walked into her room.

Kagome noticed Inuyasha was sitting on the edge of her bed, not speaking a word and being utterly still. She became worried; her Inuyasha usually never acted like this. '_**My **Inuyasha_,' she thought with an uprising frown. '_Since when did he become **mine**_?' But Kagome brushed away those thoughts and stepped closer to the silent dog demon. "Inuyasha," she asked in a soft voice. "Is everything alright?"

Inuyasha jumped a bit at the first sound of her voice. "Y-Yeah," he said meekly. A little voice inside his head started laughing at him saying, '_liar, don't kid yourself. You know you want her. You want her to yell out your name, and your name only_.' Inuyasha closed his eyes and mentally shut out the annoying voice which taunted and plagued his mind. "Yeah, Kagome. Everything's fine."

Kagome looked at suspiciously, "alright." She dumped her dirty towels into the hamper. "If you say so."

A trademark smirk appeared on Inuyasha's face, "Heh. I don't say so, I know so." A goofy looking grin spread across his face like liquid.

"Yeah okay," Kagome said sarcastically.

"You know it," replied Inuyasha. He moved over on her bed to reach the tray table, where he had put the medicine from Kaede. "Here," he said, handing her the cup. "Drink this."

Kagome glanced at the cup dubiously. "What is it?" asked Kagome. She moved her nose near the rim of the cup and took a whiff. Almost immediately, she writhed back in disgust. "Urg," she blanched. "It smells awful."

Inuyasha seemed hurt. "It's medicine from Kaede. Drink it if you want to get better." He folded his arms across his chest, as though to show the seriousness of the command he had given.

Kagome backed up tensely, attempting to avoid the stubborn hanyou approaching her. "Really, Inuyasha," she exclaimed. "I feel fine. See," Kagome placed her hand on her forehead. "No more fever. Hehe." Just as her back touched the wall, she broke into a fit of coughs and sneezing.

A smug expression appeared across Inuyasha's façade. "Wait I'm sorry," he said haughtily. "I missed that last part. What were you saying?"

Unable to think of anything to retort back with, Kagome just glimpsed at the cup in Inuyasha's hand. She stepped forward and grabbed the tiny mug out of his fist, yet not before sending him the most loathing glance she could muster. Kagome gulped, then holding her nose, she downed all of the contents in the cup. Finishing with a gag, Kagome's visage pulled a disdained appearance.

All the meanwhile, the arrogant dog demon stood there with a triumphant smile smeared on his countenance. He went over to Kagome and began patting her back with a mocking and sarcastic grin. "There," Inuyasha said cynically. "That wasn't so bad was it?"

The look and act of mock innocence was really starting to bug Kagome; and she eventually snapped. "SIT! SIT! SIT!"

"Gah," was all that Inuyasha could assemble as he got dragged down to the floor by the invisible vice-like weight of the prayer beads. With a mouth full of carpeting, Inuyasha mumbled, "Kagome…why?"

Feeling a little bit better, Kagome turned on her heel and left the room, leaving a partially crippled hanyou in pain behind her.

Kagome went downstairs to the living room to watch some TV. She turned to an old colorless show of young man woman in love. '_Eh, it's not really my type_,' Kagome thought. '_But anything's better then having to deal with him up there_.'

Within minutes of watching the boring movie, Kagome fell fast asleep on her couch.

Later

Kagome awoke nearly two hours later to find the credits of the movie she was previously watching rolling. She stretched her arms and glanced around the room. When she didn't see an obnoxious demon anywhere near, her thoughts wandered. '_Huh? I wonder where Inuyasha is_.'

She got up off the couch and strolled up to her room, noticing that the grandfather clock on the wall read nearly 5 o'clock. '_Well I guess all that sleep did me some good_,' she thought. '_At least I feel better_.' Entering her bedroom, she observed that Inuyasha was still there, only now he sat on her bedside, staring out the window.

Happiness suddenly spread throughout Kagome as she witnessed how precious he looked just sitting there like that. As she walked over she said, "Whatcha doin'," in a singsong type voice.

"Hm?" he responded, not expecting her presence. "Oh, nothing. Just watching."

Kagome smiled as she glanced out her window. Tiny crystalline snowflakes illuminated by streetlamps fell from the dark night sky. "They're beautiful, aren't they?"

"Yeah."

"Don't you just love snowflakes?" She sat down on the bed next to him, leaning her head on his shoulder

Though Kagome couldn't see it, Inuyasha's face quickly turned red from the contact. "y-yeah," he muttered. "I love 'em." '_And you_,' his mind whispered.

"Oh, Inuyasha," Kagome moaned softly. "I could just stay here forever. I'm so happy right now."

Inuyasha looked into her eyes. "Really? You are?" he asked.

Kagome nodded with a smile. "Mm-hmm, yeah. Just being with you makes me happy." She closed her eyes and sighed in relaxation and happiness.

A pure sense of joy flowed within Inuyasha's veins. He smiled; taking her sigh as initiative, Inuyasha sleekly snaked his arm around her waist and pulled her near him in a tight hug. "Well being with _you_ makes me happy."

Silent tears rolled down Kagome's face and her lips trembled slightly. She slid herself closer to her protector and hugged him more fiercely. "Inuyasha…" whispered.

"Kagome," he responded back. They gradually inched themselves closer to each other at a slow pace. Kagome rose, ever-so-slightly, off the bed, bringing her crimson lips steadily to Inuyasha's. He noticed this, his own mouth suddenly aching with need for hers. His mind was no longer in control of his actions, only his heart.

A burning desire also filled within Kagome, the feeling of butterflies swam through the pit of her stomach. She was nervous and her lips quaked in anticipation. Kagome wanted nothing more than to be trapped like prey within Inuyasha's grasp, unable to escape his wishes.

Inuyasha couldn't take the prolonged waiting any longer. It was killing him; eating away at his insides. In one swift movement, Inuyasha brought his lips gently down upon Kagome's, locking her jaw to his.

They stayed still for a moment, only Inuyasha's hand being daring enough to stroke Kagome's back. When her arms tightened themselves around Inuyasha, he grazed his tongue across her lower lip, silently seeking permission, and she granted it without a second thought.

Inuyasha kissed her fully, yet gently also; his tongue sweeping the inside of her mouth. Daring to be bold, Kagome kissed Inuyasha back with almost the same amount of force he used on her. The two broke apart from each other only after the supply of oxygen ran out.

The two were left panting and breathless. Neither wanted to speak, yet they both knew they needed to. The only one who could manage to utter a single syllable was Kagome, and all she could congregate was a short-winded, "Wow."

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnEs**

**Anime-Devil-101** - I appriciate all of your reviews, please keep it up.

**Inu-Tachi-Clan** - Sorry, I already had this chapter written when I read your review, but I will definitly keep it in mind for future chapters.

**lyn** - No problem!

**Akutenchi** - I'm glad you're the 10th reviewer, here's the chapter. P.S. - I like you're fanfic name, does it mean anything?

**TemmY** - Thanx

**obliviandragon** - Thanks, I absolutely will.

**someone** - Thank you. I will keep a look out for "a random person" when I update my stories. Keep on reviewing, okay.

**katluvsinu** - please don't beg. lol. It's alright, I 'll update even without reviewers begging me.

**InuandKagforever** - I'm happy that you're enjoying the story. I enjoy your reviews probably the most, I always look forward to loging in and seeing a reply from you. Yes, Inuyasha will recognize his feelings for Kagome, I think he did just that in this chapter. And Kaede's words do mean something, you'll just have to keep reading and wait till you find out. Sure, I'll read the story you told me about, maybe sometime this weekend if I get a chance.

**Ayanna **- Thank you, though I'd hardly call it a book, it's not nearly big enough yet, but it is definitly a compliment I like!


	6. Tell Me You Love Me

Yo, readers, what's happening? It's the one-and-only **Perky-Thief** here. I hope you're liking the story! Did you know, that I originally started Winter Wonderland to be a one-shot. But, as we all know, that turned out well. But, WOW,I never ever thought that I would have six chapters to anything. I am so pleased with myself:) But anyway, my computer's fixed and I finished chapter 6, so all is well. My ultimate goal is to have at least a hundred reviews by chapter 10, that would be so awsome. But since this is only chapter six, all I'm asking for is at least 40 reviews, which shouldn't too hard since I already havethirty-two as of right now.

Have any of you ever read the stories by **Sueric**? If you haven't you should, they are divine!

Hey, it's Sunday night, and here's the update. Right on time, like I promised. Hope ya like! Remember to review; don't forget: the more reviews I get, the more chapters you get.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Tell Me You Love Me...

Pairings: Inuyasha Kagome, Miroku Sango

**(An: There is a question at the bottom of the page for all reviewers. Please answer it.)**

**

* * *

**

**Winter Wonderland**

"Wow," responded Kagome.

Inuyasha nodded feverously, "Yeah." At that moment, nothing else in the entire world mattered to him. Only the beautiful seraphim known as Kagome. He quickly started to move in again for more precious contact with the angel's, whom Kami named Kagome, lips.

Just as it seemed he was going to kiss her again, she held up a creamy-white hand and pushed him back. Tears glistened around the brim of her eyelids, "Inuyasha, I…" Kagome didn't have the neither strength nor the will to finish her statement. All she did was run out of the room, leaving Inuyasha there sitting on her bed, slightly shell-shocked.

'_What just happened? Did I do something wrong_.' "Kagome, wait," he called after her. Inuyasha bolted out the door to see her go down the stairs into the living room. "Kagome, stop, don't run away from me." Speed being an advantage in his situation, he caught up to her in a matter of sheer seconds. Kagome sat on her couch with her legs tucked under her chin and her hands in face.

A complete and total feeling of sadness engulfed him. Inuyasha placed a clawed hand upon her shoulder, "Kagome…" She shied away at his touch, bringing her shoulder up to act as a guard against the contact. This act upset Inuyasha even more than he already had been. "What's wrong, Kagome? Please, tell me." She turned her head away from him once again. A frown appeared on Inuyasha's face. '_Alright_,' he thought. 'N_ow this is just dumb._'

Inuyasha placed one clawed finger on Kagome's chin and slowly shifted it to face him. "Kagome," he said, with more sternness and force in his voice. "Look at me and tell me what's wrong. You're just acting like a spoiled brat now."

Kagome rotated around to meet Inuyasha's eyes, which were drilling holes into her own. "Inuyasha," she stated. "You just don't understand how hard it is for me." Her tears could not be contained now, for they poured out of her eyes like a broken dam.

Confusion clashed with all of Inuyasha's other features. "Huh, what? How hard could it possibly be for you? What is it? Please, just look at me and tell me why it's hard, because, honestly, I don't get it." He folded his arms over his chest and looked at her in perplexity and austere.

Her bottom lip trembling, Kagome looked at him with an unknown emotion written in her eyes. "It's hard because I don't know how you feel; you never said anything to me. And that is something I want, _need_, to know."

An insane look of shock dawned upon Inuyasha's façade. "You don't _know_!" he near shouted. "How could you _no_t know? Isn't it apparent? First I brought you home to your era when you're sick, and then I go back to my time and got you medicine to help you get better. And you're going to say you don't know how I feel! What are you stupid or something?" A sensation which can only be described as annoyance coursed through Inuyasha's vein at full speed.

Kagome stared at Inuyasha with a loathing glare, "I'm aware that you care about me and I thank you for all that you've done." Her tears had stopped by now. "But I was talking about the kiss. I need to know how you feel about it…and me. You don't regret it, do you? Because if you do, that's okay."

"NO!" Inuyasha screamed. "Why do you think I would resent a kiss as good as that? I feel…I don't know. Happy, I guess; euphoric maybe. It's like something I've never experienced before, and I never want to experience that again with anyone other than you. As far as how I feel about you is concerned," Inuyasha reached into his haori and pulled out a small, shiny object, all the while still concealing it carefully.

Though feeling down, Kagome's interest was piqued. The object had a bright luster and made a definite clinking sound when moved. Since Inuyasha's hand was tightly wrapped around the article, Kagome was still somewhat in the dark as to what it really was. However, when she actually saw what it truly was, her jaw dropped and tears welled up in her eyes once more.

"Kagome, look," Inuyasha said gently. In his hand, he held the locket Kagome had given him for Christmas. It was open and the picture of the two of them together faced Kagome.

"Oh, Inuyasha," Kagome whispered softly. "My gift…"

"Hush, Kagome. Let me finish." He spoke in tone of half command, half desire. "Look," Inuyasha pointed to the necklace. "If I didn't care about you, I wouldn't have even thought about wearing this." Kagome slowly reached forward and fingered the trinket with feather-light touches. "I had hoped it would have been obvious, but I guess dumb mortals like you are slow sometimes."

Inuyasha caught his remark a little too late, but was grateful when Kagome didn't retort with an insult. "It may have taken me a long time to actually figure it out," he said. "But now that I have, it's become," he gulped. "It's become so clear to me." Inuyasha stopped there, his throat becoming too parched and dry for him to continue any longer.

Intent etched its way into Kagome's expression. She seemed determined to hear out what Inuyasha had to say, even if it meant waiting a lifetime for him to finish. "Please, Inuyasha," she urged with a tiny, beautiful smile. "Please finish. What are you trying to say?"

Inuyasha smiled, just the lovely portrait of Kagome's lips curving into a grin was enough assurance for him to continue. "W-well," he stuttered. "What I'm trying to say is, Kami please give me strength, is that…" '_Calm down, calm down. Just tell her; just say it_.' Nervousness was beginning to get the better of Inuyasha and not even the little voice inside his subconscious was able to give him the boost of confidence that he needed. "I…I can't do it." Inuyasha turned around abruptly and stormed into the kitchen, leaving a stone-still Kagome sitting alone on the couch.

The only word running around in Kagome's mind was 'what?' When it dawned on her as to what he had truly said and done, she was outraged. Kagome got up off the couch and followed his direct footsteps and stomped into the kitchen. She saw him sitting in a chair, facing the wall, with a glass of water in front of him. "Wait just one minute," she shouted.

When Inuyasha rotated to look at Kagome, she was seething. "How dare you, Inuyasha! How dare you! You do not, and I repeat, do not have a conversation with someone the way you did with me."

"Kagome…"

"No, now you let me finish. You looked straight into my eyes and told me how much I meant to you. You even pulled out the necklace which I gave you and told me a beautiful speech. Those two things meant something to me. And then you walk out in the middle of our conversation. How could you do that?" The seething was gone and the tears were back. "Didn't you just say how much you care about me?" Her face was red and her hands were balled in fists. "You're nothing but an uncaring, pompous, inconsidera-."

"Damn it, Kagome. Shut the fuck up! I was trying to say I love you! You hear that, I LOVE YOU! But you're so fucking concerned about '_how_ and _when_' I say it, that you don't give me a goddamn fucking chance."

Kagome looked at him in quiet shock for a moment then shakily sank to her knees on the white tiled floor and broke out into full blown sobs.

Upon seeing this, Inuyasha immediately jumped out of his chair and lower himself to the floor with her. "Shh," he whispered in her ear. "It's okay, I'm sorry I yelled." He put his arms around her, placing her in a protective little world consisting of only the two of them. His comforting lasted for a few more minutes, though it felt like hours. Eventually, Kagome relaxed a bit and stopped shaking; her cries ceased and her breathing became normal. Together they sat there in the middle of the kitchen floor, both still and silent.

"Inuyasha," Kagome asked after a while.

"Yeah?" he responded.

"Is that true?" she said.

Inuyasha felt puzzled for the millionth time that night. "Is what true?"

"That you love me." Though Inuyasha couldn't see from his angle, a look crossed between hopefulness and confusion was on Kagome's face.

"Of course it's true," Inuyasha scoffed. "Why the hell wouldn't it be true? Do you think I'm some kind of liar or something?"

Delight screamed out in Kagome's eyes. "No, Inuyasha. You know I don't." She closed her eyes and pulled herself closer to the hanyou whom had just proclaimed his love for her.

"Um, Kagome?" he asked. "Do you, um, love me?"

Kagome sat up out of his hold and stared straight into his eyes. She placed both of her soft-fleshed hands on each of his cheeks. "Look at me," she said seriously. "Now tell me, what do you see?"

"Compassion, happiness, beauty," Inuyasha had said the first few words that came to mind.

A melody-like giggle escaped Kagome's lips, "Alright, but what else?"

"Um, love?" Inuyasha said uncertainly.

Kagome nodded. "Exactly." She leaned her head up and captured his uncertain lips in a short, but unrelenting kiss. "Me too," said Kagome, breaking the encounter. "You know what I see?"

Inuyasha shook his head.

"I see a kind-hearted protecting person whom I love with all of my heart and soul. There is no one else in this world for me, neither in your era or mine. Only you."

"Good," Inuyasha smirked. "Because no one other than me can have you."

"Inuyasha," she exclaimed in a joking manner.

Inuyasha ignored her, his smirk increasing. "Wait till I tell that mangy wolf to shove the fuck off."

"Speaking of telling," Kagome said. "We should go back tomorrow. I'm sure the others are worried, and I am dying to talk with Sango. I feel like it's been ages since we had any 'girl time.'"

A frown worked its way onto Inuyasha's brow. He placed his hand on Kagome's forehead. "Well, your fevers broken. I guess we can go back tomorrow. As long as you feel up to it. But we're definitely spending the night here, got it? No arguments."

"Alright, Inuyasha. we'll stay here tonight," she replied. Changing the subject, Kagome said, "That medicine you got must've really done the trick. I hope you didn't go through too much trouble to get it."

Inuyasha saw this as an opportune advantage and sought it. "Well," he began. "It was very difficult to bring back, having to bribe Kaede and all. I am feeling a little fatigued because of it."

"Uh-huh," Kagome said, unconvinced. The word 'sit' was on the tip of her tongue, if her thought he could get away with a cock-and-bull story like that, he was way wrong. But instead of punishing the half-demon, Kagome decided to play it out. "Oh, you poor thing," she said, while crawling over and petting his ears. "You must be exhausted." She stood up to her full height. "I think you should go to bed right now. Come on, mister. Stand up and get upstairs."

Inuyasha dropped his jaw and looked at her disbelievingly. "You can't be serious?"

A look of fake shock appeared on her face as she pulled on his arm, standing Inuyasha up. "Of course I am. I want you to have full strength tomorrow when we go back."

"No, Kagome, that's okay. Really." Inuyasha figured that it was about time to drop the act. "I'm fine, see? Not tired or exhausted at all."

She smiled up at him. "Alright, Inuyasha, if you say so." She began to walk out of the kitchen and into the living room when she looked back at him. "Oh, and just so you know, I'm not an idiot," Kagome said, fluttering her eyelashes at him.

She walked into the room, leaving a stunned Inuyasha alone in the kitchen, feeling nothing but stupid. After snapping out of his daze, he followed her into living room.

They decided on watching a movie together on the couch. And even though Inuyasha had no idea about what was going on, he still enjoyed it because it permitted him to still mutually with Kagome. The last thought that passed through his mind before he and Kagome fell asleep on the couch together was that he received the best Christmas gift of that year, Kagome's love.

* * *

I want at least somewhere between 40 - 45 reviews before I upload Chapter 7. I hope you liked 6. Do you guys think that my responses to reviewers are stupid, because I've been told that? So if it is and no one is even bothering to read them, then I'll stop.

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnEs**

**Robin-my-twin** – I love to write, so I definitely will. I want there to be a lemon, I only hope I can fit it into the story line without it seeming stupid.

**Anime-Devil-101** – Glad ya liked the kiss! Well, here's your update. Did you like it?

**Akutenchi** – Very cool! I love the originality. How didya get it? Oh, I looked at your profile, luv the first 2 quotes, very cute!

**Kakiyoumae** – Wow, thanks. That's a really nice complement. It means a lot to me. Like I said before, there may be a lemon, I want one, but we'll just have to see. And just cause u want one, doesn't make u a perv. (A couple of people already know this, but I'm a fan of interesting names, and I really like your's. What does it mean?)

**Kalara** – Thanx. I hope you enjoyed the update!

**lyn** - here ya are, lyn.

**InuandKagforever** – Gee, thanks. blush You're so nice. It makes me happy that you're such a dedicated reviewer, cause I know that each time I update I'll see your name. Oh, and that last review was pretty funny. You're such a character! It seems like all of your comments of what should occur actually happen. maybe you're a psychic. Nah, just jokin, but honestly, I hope ya liked the chapter. Oh, I read that story you told me about, I like the idea and the story line. But there's way too much dialogue, I said that in the review also, (I hope they didn't take it the wrong way…) And I think that if an author has to add in little side notes to the reader, then they didn't explain it well enough in their story. I know it sounds mean, but I don't want it to be. It's only the result of taking courses in Editing Class.

**Ashley** – Thanks, that review was really up-lifting.


	7. Mom's Home!

Sup readers, **Perky-Thief** here, just back to chat. Sorry it took me so long to update, I was really bust in school, "college time" blech! It gets really annoying, kinda like me talking to you, but oh well. I won't keep you long just wanted to say sorry and here you go! Enjoy!

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Mom's Home!

Pairings: Inuyasha Kagome, Miroku Sango

* * *

Enjoy my little pretties! Don't forget to review, I want between 55 - 60. It's not hard. Really. Last time, I only asked for 40 and got nearly 50! WOW! Go, Perky! Nah, just being dumb, sry. My bad, enjoy!

**

* * *

**

Winter Wonderland

The bright sunlight shining through the blinds of the living room window woke Kagome up that morning at the unknown hour. As her eyelid fluttered open, a painful strain resided in her neck, due to the result of Kagome leaving her head on Inuyasha's shoulder all night. She placed her left hand on the back of her neck while sitting into an upright position.

As she glanced at the clock, a feeling of instant dread filed up within her, '_what! How can it be11:30 already?_' Kagome looked at the peaceful looking hanyou sleeping tenderly to her right. Though she didn't want to wake him, she knew she had to. Her family could arrive home at any time and she didn't want to get caught in the house with Inuyasha alone. Who knew what kind of embarrassment that could bring.

"Inuyasha," Kagome whispered, as she gently nudged the half-demon awake. "Inuyasha, wake up."

Inuyasha mumbled something incoherent and pulled himself away Kagome, thus falling off the couch in the process. The outcome of this occurrence resulted in the hanyou waking up at an outrageous speed. "What happened? Where is it?"

Kagome giggled lightly at his ridiculous outburst. "It's alright, Inuyasha," she responded. "Everything's fine. There's nothing there."

Annoyance and anger masked his features. "Then what did you wake me up for, wench?" Inuyasha near shouted.

"I didn't wake you up, baka. You fell off the couch on your own accord."

"Hmph," he retorted. "Yeah right."

Kagome sighed in exasperation. "Whatever, Inuyasha. I'm going upstairs to take a bath. I'll be back in a little bit."

Inuyasha stood up. "You don't need a bath again, you took one yesterday. Trust me, I was there, remember?" He folded his arms over his chest, hoping he had made his point loud and clear.

Shaking her head, Kagome thought to herself, '_I really don't need to deal with this right now_.' "Fine," she said with a wide smirk. "I'll let you have what you want, if I get what I want."

"Deal," Inuyasha shouted without even thinking first. "Wait," he said after catching his error. "What exactly do you want," asked Inuyasha. He had a suspicion that the sneaky wench was up to something devious.

"Well," Kagome started, smiling. "Since you agreed…I want _you_ to take a bath."

"_What!_"

"Yup!" she said with satisfaction. "Now get upstairs, mister. I want you in that bath right now. You never take one in your era, so that means you're taking one in mine. And you agreed, so don't you even dare to try and get out of it." Kagome laughed a bit at her own funnish-cruelty. "Cause you won't," she added in.

"But, Kagome," Inuyasha moaned, sounding babyish. "I don't wanna. I don't like baths." He began backing away from her, very slowly.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome demanded. She had now grabbed onto one of the sleeves of his haori and began pulling it near the stairs. "Stop being such a baby! You're not a cat, you know. The water won't hurt you." Even after she started demeaning him, Inuyasha still resisted her wishes and tried to pry himself off away from the insistent miko.

"Who cares?" he shouted. "It doesn't matter whether not I'm a cat or a dog, it doesn't determine if I like water."

With her face now a tint of angry blood red, Kagome stared daggers at Inuyasha. "Inuyasha," Kagome whispered in a pissed off voice. "If you keep ignoring my requests, I will 'sit' you to all eternity." Despite not directing the word specifically at him, Inuyasha crashed down to the ground the moment the syllable was uttered.

"Kagome," Inuyasha attempted to say with his face mashed into the rug.

But apparently Kagome would hear any of it, for the next five words out of her mouth was nothing but, "SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT! SIT!" When her frustration had dried out, she took a seat on her couch to sit back and watch the after-affects of the seriously distressed hanyou.

Each time Inuyasha had tried to stand himself up, he was attacked with another batch of 'sit.' After roughly 7 minutes the effects of the spell had worn out. When he sat up, his aggravated eyes met Kagome's emotionless ones. With a sigh, Inuyasha gave up, "alright. I'll go take a bath."

Kagome's once emotionless eyes now contained gleam and satisfaction. "Oh thank you, Inuyasha," she said. Kagome slid off the couch and onto the floor, throwing her arms around the half-demon. "I just knew you'd see it my way."

A grumble escaped Inuyasha's lips as he made his way up the stairs to the bathroom. Kagome giggled as she heard something along the lines of "stupid wenches and their stupid baths" come out of his mouth.

Kagome remained downstairs until she was certain she heard the sound water coming from the faucet. Only once she was _positive_,was when she took the initiative and went to her room.

Kagome closed the door and quickly stripped of her previously worn clothes and changed into fresh one. 'Eh,' she thought. 'I'll bathe with Sango later.' After that, she paced around her room, bored out of her mind. Eventually, Kagome laid down on her bed with one of her textbooks covering her view of the door.

Many minutes and math problems later, there was a knock on her door. "Come in," she called.

Seconds later, Inuyasha stood in Kagome's doorway with nothing on except a towel wrapped around his waist. Kagome's jaw practically dropped to the floor; in all of her life she had never seen anything so captivating and beautiful as that which stood before her.

Inuyasha seemed to notice the way she was acting, for he shouted, "Oi, Kagome!"

"Huh?" she said, snapping out of her daze. "Yeah, what is it?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I'm done."

"Okay sure." Kagome quickly turned her head back to her book, trying to avoid eye contact with the delicious-looking hanyou standing half-naked in front of her.

Inuyasha eyed Kagome strangely; he took a step closer to her. "Kagome," he said slowly. "You're acting strange, what's wrong." With each pending step, Kagome hid her face deeper into her reading material.

"N-Nothing, Inuyasha," she stuttered out. "Just, s-stay there, okay?" She rolled over and faced her wall, "just, try not to come any closer, will ya."

That last statement intrigued Inuyasha to the fullest and, deciding to test his boundaries, he took a step closer; and closer; and closer; and closer until he stood at the edge of the bed with Kagome's back turned towards him. "Kagome…" he whispered in a silky voice. "Why are you hiding from me?" The smooth tones rolled off his tongue like butter. Inuyasha placed his hand on Kagome's shoulder and slowly trailed it down her arm, igniting goose bumps to occur over each piece of touched flesh.

She shivered both inwardly and outwardly when he carefully dragged his fingertips across her skin. It felt like feather-light tickles being stretched out on her body. "I'm not hiding. I'm just trying to read, but I can't do that when you're standing over me like some crazed, wild dog."

"Crazed wild dog?" Inuyasha stated in a mock-incredulous voice. He leaned above Kagome poised for attack. "I'll show '_crazed wild dog_,'" Inuyasha swooped down fast and began tickling Kagome at an outrageous speed. His hands swiftly assaulted each of her curves and contours, making her writhe in a joyful pain.

"Inu-Inuyasha," she screamed, her hands and arms flailing in every which direction. Giggles and half-laughs escaped Kagome's rosy lips, adding a wonderful pitch to her angelic voice. "Stop it. Stop it right now!" The moment the word 'now' left her mouth, Kagome's right arm whipped out and smacked the side of Inuyasha's towel.

Before either of them had noticed, the towel concealing Inuyasha had dropped to the floor like an old rag doll. Yet at that point in time, both Kagome and Inuyasha froze for a split second. Only when it registered in Kagome's mind, was when she threw her hands over her eyes to mask her vision.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome yelled, still screening away her sight.

Meanwhile, Inuyasha was still in a petrified-like state, unmoving and completely stationary. It took Kagome's voice to scream "Inuyasha!" a second time for him to gain control of his limbs and begin to cover himself up. He reached down and grabbed the towel and awkwardly attempted to shield his body.

Kagome dared to risk a peek at Inuyasha, and was partly shocked, partly delighted to discover that he had not yet fully concealed his previously exposed manhood. Although before Inuyasha could comment about her '_looking_' at him, a loud slamming of the door and multiple voices, brought both him and Kagome back to a shocking reality.

"Oh no," Kagome said in a whispered panicky voice to a currently half-covered Inuyasha. "Mom's home."

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnEs**

**laquasha** – Wow! You reviewed ALL of my chapters, thank you. That's so nice of you. I just love it when readers like a story and feel the need to review all the chapters even thought they know that only 1 would make the writer happy. Thank you. Oh, I'm 16 years old, do you really think I'm mature? You'd change your opinion if you met me; I'm the BIGGEST kid in the world. A lemon will come soon enough, have patience.

**Anime-Devil-101** – Well good! As long as someone likes my responses then I'll keep 'em up. Glad ya liked the fluff!

**InuandKagforever** – Thank you, though I wouldn't call my self an excellent writer, I'd rather say mediocre. I do plan to put Koga and Kikyo in, but I'm not sure if I should add in Naraku. What do you think? Do you think he'll add too much drama to the story?

**ellie** – Soon. It'll arrive soon.

**Akutenchi** – Very Cool. You're welcome. I'll go and check those out, too. Thank you for feeling like that, it's very uplifting for me!

**lyn** – Sure thing, lyn.

**Kalara** – Well, here you go. I think its spelt '_anticipation_'. But close enough. Hehehe.

**leonardo casadan** – Thanx. I don't like to do different point-of-views because unless it's done perfectly, it can get really confusing for the reader. And since I'm the author, I'd have no idea as of how you're all feeling about it. But I'll keep it in mind, it does sound appealing for kiss scenes.

**sailor saturn 55** – Thank you. I'm only here to please.

**Ashley** – Hey, sorry this chapter wasn't updated as fast as all the others but I've been really busy what with choosing colleges and all.

**Doug** – Thank you, Doug.


	8. Humorous Romances

Hey guys, **Perky-Thief** here, once again. I'm really really really sorry that it took me soooo long to update. I've just been so preoccupied with everything. Well **HAPPY VALENTINES DAY** readers! I hope you all got candy and flowers from your respective partners. I know I did! My two good friends got me a two beautiful red carnations with really corny poems. Right now they're sitting in a vase.

Alright so let me just say that I hope you like this chapter and that if you do, please review.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Humorous Romances

Pairings: Inuyasha Kagome, Miroku Sango

* * *

Enjoy! Say, wouldn't it be great if I got 100 review (hint hint, wink wink) Nah just kidding. I would never ask for THAT much, but it would be cool, right? Let's just go for at least 80.

**

* * *

**

**Winter Wonderland**

Kagome jumped off her bed with lightning speed, pushing Inuyasha with both hands towards the wall. When his back touched the wall, she threw him sideways into the closet, towel and all. As Inuyasha fell to the floor, Kagome glanced down and whispered, "Stay here."

"Wait, Kagom," Inuyasha was cut off by the slamming of the door in his face, ceasing his voice.

From the floor below, Kagome heard her mother saying something to her grandpa and then walking up stairs. Kagome skidded to her bed and hopped on, quickly grabbing a textbook, to make it seem as though she had been conveniently reading a book the whole time.

Mrs. Higurashi passed her daughters door and did a double-take, peeking into the room slowly. "Oh, Kagome," her mother said kindly. "I didn't know you were home now, sweetheart. I thought you were spending Christmas in Inuyasha's time. When did you get here?"

Kagome smiled sweetly at her mother. "Well, I was. But I wanted to come here for a little bit, so I came this morning." She lied right through her teeth, hoping her mother would buy it.

"_This morning_?" Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed. "It's only 9 o'clock. How early did you get here?"

Kagome stopped for a second, thinking she had been found out; but then she replied, "Did I say 'this morning'? I meant last night, yeah, I got here last night."

Mrs. Higurashi looked stunned and almost confused for a moment; but then smiled her trademark smile and said, "Alright dear, as long as you're okay. Are you hungry? Because if you are I can make you some breakfast. How about some pancakes and eggs, hmm? Maybe some sausage if you like?"

Kagome's mouth watered and she was about to reply 'yes' but suddenly remembered the naked hanyou still sitting all alone in her closet. "No thanks, Mom. I'm not that hungry. Besides I'm probably gonna back go to the Feudal Era soon anyway."

Her mother seemed to accept this, for she simply shrugged her shoulders and shifted to leave. "Alright, darling." As she made way towards the door, something apparently caught her eye since she turned to face Kagome once more. "Kagome, dear," she said apprehensively. "What's that?" Mrs. Higurashi pointed to the pile of crumpled red fabric, known only as Inuyasha's haori, lying messily in the corner.

A frown came over Kagome's face as she inhaled sharply. "Oh that?" she said slowly. "That's nothing, don't you worry one bit about it. Okay?" Kagome smiled nervously as her mother glanced over her; no doubt searching for any lies.

Mrs. Higurashi crossed her arms thoughtfully, "are you sure? Because it does look an awful lot like Inuyasha's clothes."

"Oh, well, they are?" Kagome said, not really knowing where this conversation was going.

"Why would you have his clothes? He's not here with you, is he?" An accusing look appeared on her face.

"Oh no, never, of course not. But, um well, you see…his clothes, they were really dirty and um...he asked me if I would clean them for him, so I brought them back here." A crooked grin was now pasted on Kagome's façade. '_Boy, I hope she believes that story_.' She wrung her hands nervously in her lap, silently wondering what Inuyasha was thinking at that moment.

Kagome's mother finally seemed to accept everything she had recently processed. "That's really sweet of you, Kagome. But I do hope he has other clothes in his era," she said thoughtfully. But after a minute of standing there, she said, "Well, you can finish your reading now; I'll be downstairs making Souta breakfast. If you want anything, just yell."

"Oh, no thanks, Mom. I'm going back soon anyway."

"Okay, dear." She turned to the door, shutting it closed on her way out.

When the handle clicked into place, Kagome breathed a deep sigh of relief. She immediately dashed towards the door and locked it tight. After that, she went to the closet and opened it, only to find a disheveled Inuyasha with his towel no where to be seen. Kagome stared at him for a second in a frozen state of shock. "Um, Inuyasha, shouldn't you cover up, or something," she said, while seemingly forgetting to shield her eyes from something she shouldn't see.

"Gah," Inuyasha responded, loudly shouting and skidding away. "Kagome, don't look!" His shout brought Kagome back down to earth with a jump.

The unexpected yell actually startled Kagome and she tripped over her own feet, and she landed with a 'thud' on top of Inuyasha. If Kagome was surprised, Inuyasha was shocked ten times more. He would never have guessed that a beautiful teenage girl would fall on him while he was naked in a closet. And he had to say that he wasn't put off by the idea.

As soon as Kagome's body met with Inuyasha's, she immediately struggled to get on to her feet, thus causing both pairs of legs to become tangled in the once-lost towel. Her face was flushed and she felt deeply embarrassed to be on top of a nude Inuyasha. In an attempt to free themselves of them entanglement, Kagome tried to reach her hand down and push away the towel. But what she didn't expect to feel was the skin of Inuyasha's manhood, which was now somewhat hardened as a result of all the movement and touching between the two.

After that occurred, Kagome knew that enough was enough; she pushed herself off him with as much force as she could muster. When she was a few good feet away, Kagome stood up to face him.

Her eyes scanned his unsheltered body, slowly examining each nook and cranny. Slowly, she searched, deliciously devouring everything she saw.

Inuyasha noticed this and responded, "um, Kagome. Could you not stare? Please?" His voice sounded deep and masculine, if just for the moment.

"Oh um, right," Kagome said stupidly. She turned around and faced the wall, blinking a few times in the process. She heard the fast rustling of a human body. Kagome could only assume that he was rummaging through her closet, searching for something to conceal himself with. She continued standing with her face to the wall until she heard Inuyasha mutter a soft, "okay." Only then did she turn back to him, and was relieved to discover that he was wearing his full haori, towel in hand.

"Alright," Kagome said in a shaky voice. "I'm ready to go back now."

Inuyasha nodded. "Me too."

Kagome grabbed her backpack which she had conveniently placed in the corner. She set in upon her shoulders, and hopped on to Inuyasha's back, ready to return to his era.

**Meanwhile**

Sango sat on the serenely edge of a large grassy hill with Kirara at her side. She absent-mindedly stroked the adorable little kitten's cream-colored fur, simply watching the clouds pass overhead and enjoying the lovely scenery. It was only when she heard the faint rustling of the grass that she turned around to glance behind her. A sigh escaped her mouth when she realized it was only the monk. "Oh, Miroku," she said contentedly. "What brings you here? Is something wrong?"

The monk smiled. "I was about to ask you the same thing. Why are you here all alone and unaccompanied? You know, you could get in to danger out here and there would be no strong man here to protect you." A lecherous grin smoothly etched onto his features, making him look slightly questionable.

Sango's expression slowly changed from peaceful to displeased, knowing he was just _begging_ for an excuse to act lecherously. "I think I'll be fine." She turned back around to look at her view rather than the hovering monk beside her.

"Mind if I join you?" he said after a while.

"Not at all," Sango responded, pretending not to care whether or not he did.

"Good." Miroku sat down beside the demon-slayer, just as, if not, more silent than she. He placed his staff on the ground next to him and stared into the distance at the painted sky.

Together, the two sat in a mutual silence, both careful and unwishing to destroy it. The only sounds that could be heard were the rhythmic patterns of breathing. "It's beautiful, isn't it?" Miroku said after a while.

"Yes," Sango replied.

"Kind of like you," Miroku said absently.

A faint blush spread over Sango's cheeks at the comment. "I-I'd hardly consider myself beautiful."

Miroku smiled. "Nonsense. Of course you are beautiful. Just because you refuse to see it doesn't mean everyone else does." He slowly eased himself onto his feet and stood up. "If you don't notice it now, dear Sango, you soon will. Out of all the women I've ever seen, my favorite will always be you." With that last comment, Miroku gathered up his belongings and ventured down the hill, leaving a stunned Sango behind.

She sat there with Kirara, unmoving. She no longer glanced into the distance. Instead, her eyes followed the monk. 'W_hat just happened? Did he behave, just now_?' she wondered. "_Did we just have a conversation without any lecherous interference_?' Silence ensued for a moment, and then Sango thought, '_well, he is kind of cute if you think about it. And he is very sweet and caring…_' Strange questions like these plagued her mind until she saw Shippo running up the hill very fast. Deciding to meet him half-way, Sango stood up and descended the hill, the neko-youkai at her ankles.

"Sango, guess what!" the small fox-demon said excitedly.

She grinned at the kit. "What is it, Shippo?"

"Kagome and Inuyasha are back!"

Sango smiled; she knew how much Shippo loved Kagome, she was like his surrogate-mother. Not to mention that Sango was grateful to have a girlfriend around, it had been ages since she and Kagome shared the luxury of the hot springs with those soaps Kagome uses on her hair.

With a smile still glued onto her face, Sango carefully went down the steep hill with Shippo and Kirara to meet her other two best friends.

* * *

Please Review Guys!If you do, I'll be sure to write a response.

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnEs**

**Night Ember** – Hey, I'm glad you like the story, anyway here's chapter 8

**Isa** – Okay, here's your update.

**caileigh** – Ha-ha, thanx. I'm glad you like my writing. And I'm sure yours doesn't suck, if you really don't like it, just keep on trying. Have confidence in yourself.

**lyn** – No prob.

**travis curtis** – Well, I'm happy that you're happy.

**Liz** – Hey thanks, I like it when people just start reading. It allows them to get really far into the story without waiting for many updates. If you have any suggestions for me, let me know.

**toyalover** – That's really cool if I made you feel something different inside. It brings me pride as a writer when I hear something like that.

**Grandmaster Kane** – It's alright. Sometimes when a character is OCC, it makes the story better.

**Rayia** – Eventually.

**Akutenchi** – Yup! Thank you, please keep reviewing, it's really fun to read them.

**Anime-Devil-101** – I hope you liked chapter 8

**Inuyasha's Only Daughter** – Ha, that's funny. Thanks, I sure will.

**eveilpristess345** – Thanx.

**sakura-kon** – Are things really moving to fast? I didn't realize. I've even been told that I put to much detail into things.

**InuandKagforever** – Sorry it took me so long, and it will probably take me even longer to do chapter 9, only because I've haven't even written it yet. Hey, I try to keep up with you guys but it's too hard. I do plan to put Kikyo and Koga in, I'm just not sure when. I don't think I'll include Naraku though.

**laquasha** – Yeah, I know. I laughed while writing that word, it's so formal yet funny.

**Darkness-Angel-2004** – Please don't go insane. We like to read your reviews.

**Lady of the Westlands** – Ya know, I really tried to make this chapter a little longer than the other ones, but it just wasn't coming to me. Maybe next chapter.

**lilLostKitten** – Did ya like? I sure hope so!


	9. Telling Secrets

Hi readers, it's **Perky-Thief**, just here to wish you a good weekend, or happy vacation if you live in New York like me. I'm going to be in Florida for the next week, so updates will be kind of slow. But when ever I have time, I promise to start writing Chapter 10.

Well, I'm a little disappointed with the amount of reviews I got. Only 77. That made me cry. **** I wasn't gonna review until I got at least 80, but oh well. I did it anyway.

How come no one ever gives me any constructive criticism? Is my story that perfect? I don't think so, so please criticize.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Telling Secrets

Pairings: Inuyasha Kagome, Miroku Sango

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

"Kagome!" Sango ran at full speed to embrace her friend, who eagerly responded to the situation. Despite having a beaming Shippo glued to her leg in a child-like bear hug, Kagome leaned in easily to her best friends hug. She relished in feeling of pure happiness which was immediately instilled within her. "How are you? Are you feeling any better?"

"Yeah, actually," Kagome said. She averted her eyes slightly in the direction where Inuyasha was standing. A genuine smile and a faint blush crawled to her face. "A lot better."

Sango sighed to herself gently and smiled, "well good." She linked her arm into Kagome's and began pulling her into a solitary walk. Together, the two of them strolled along the winter-white snow covered path; Inuyasha, Miroku, and Shippo trailing back far behind. The pair of young girls spent their moments talking and gossiping about the past few days.

"So, Kagome," Sango said in a quiet whisper. "What's up with you? Why are you being so quiet?" Her voice held only care and concern, one normally felt only for a friend or family member. Kagome could tell. "You're not usually like this. And I noticed that you haven't looked Inuyasha in the eye since you got here. Did something happen while at your home?"

Kagome said nothing; she only continued to walk along side Sango in utter silence. She knew that Sango would fine out sooner or later, whether from herself or someone else. Despite knowing that what had occurred was completely hers and Inuyasha's business and theirs alone, Kagome could not help but feel compelled to tell Sango everything that had transpired in the previous days. She assumed that it was just the 'gossip bug' in her trying to get out. '_I should tell her, she'll find out anyway, no doubt Inuyasha's already told Miroku_.'

"Well," Kagome began. Her head was tilted downwards, and though Sango could not see it, a deep color of red wine came onto Kagome's face. "Inuyasha and I kinda…well, we kind of had a moment." She held her breath for a moment, waiting for Sango's response. Kagome couldn't tell whether it'd be good or bad.

Sango smiled widely and brightly. "A moment, huh? And just what exactly occurred in this _moment_?"

"Um," Kagome said meekly. "We kissed. Twice."

A gasp of utter joy escaped Sango's mouth. "Oh, did you really? Oh my Kami!" Sango jumped for joy inside at what Kagome had just admitted to her. She was _so_ happy that even something as minute as a kiss took place between the two. Both she and Miroku had been waiting too long for the stubborn hanyou to make a move with Kagome, and it seemed that he finally had. But what was really great about it was that Kagome seemed to have a glow-like air surrounding her since it occurred; and as long as Kagome was happy, Sango felt happy.

Suspecting that there was more to tell, Sango decided to prod a bit. "I know there's more. What else happened? Tell me."

Kagome froze. Should she tell Sango about the closet incident? She didn't know; how would she take it? Kagome felt embarrassed even _thinking _about it. How could she go about telling it to somebody? Yet, apart from this, there was a burning desire deep within her that wanted the information to be revealed. The need to speak out was just too over whelming.

"Well…" Kagome started off. "Something strange happened back at my house. We sort of had this weird thing occur in my closet..."

**Meanwhile – A few feet back and moments before. **

"Inuyasha, you seem anxious. Is something the matter?" Miroku trotted next to the agitated demon, trying to carefully pry information out of him. So far, he hadn't been successful.

"Feh," Inuyasha snorted. "I'm fine." He crossed his arms over chest in a stubborn manner. Inuyasha glanced behind, checking to make sure that both Shippo and Kirara were still there and not falling back. '_Kagome would seriously kill me if they got lost or left behind_,' he thought to himself.

Miroku chuckled at his friend's behavior. "Why don't you just tell me what's the matter? I'm sure it'll make things easier on you."

Inuyasha snorted once more. Why should he have to tell the monk anything? It's not like Miroku could actually help with his problems. '_Eh, what the hell. I might as well tell him_.' "I'm just annoyed, that's all."

A look of disbelief was written on Miroku's face. "Just annoyed, huh? About what? Is it Kagome, what happened?"

Inuyasha smiled smugly. "I kissed her. Twice."

Once again, the lecherous smile came into view. "Really? Was it good? Are her lips truly as soft as they look?" When this was said, the monk came face to face with an angry hanyou. Red flashing in his eyes. Before Miroku knew what was happening, Inuyasha's clawed fisted were bunched up at his collar, squeezing tightly.

"I really don't think that's any of your business, monk. And I don't want you thinking about her in that manner again, got it?"

Miroku nodded at this request, not wanting to test Inuyasha's limits when it came to Kagome's care. "Sure, no problem." Miroku wanted to laugh. There was nothing funnier then when Inuyasha was being protective; it was such a drastic personality change that it made it humorous to see. "So," Miroku said, slowly regaining his composure. "Did anything else transpire between you two?"

Inuyasha shrugged. "Eh, not much. Kagome just fell on top of me, that's all."

"Oh," Miroku said. "Neither of you were hurt, were you?"

"Nah, well, kinda. It only hurt me a bit because I was naked." He said it as though it meant nothing and was completely normal. Almost like it happened to everyone. Sort of.

But Miroku did not see it that way. He froze in place when he heard that. "_While you were naked_? That's interesting. Did you enjoy this?" A lecherous glint came into his eyes. He suddenly appeared extremely interested in anything Inuyasha had to say; especially if it involved Inuyasha and Kagome together _intimately_.

Inuyasha smirked dangerously, his smile being suggestive. "What do you think?" he asked in response. "Wouldn't you?"

Miroku stopped for a second. Was this a trick question since it involved Kagome? He really didn't want to be hit by a seething half-demon. So, he decided to answer safely. "Well," he started. "If it were somebody else, like Sango for instance, then I would thoroughly enjoy it." Ah perfect, Inuyasha couldn't get angry at him because of that response, right?

Wrong. Inuyasha grabbed Miroku on the forearm and gripped tightly. Anger flashed in his eyes. "What are you saying, monk?" he asked, tightening his fist. "Are you trying to say that Kagome's not good enough to have fallen on you? Is that it, 'cause if it is, you've got another thing coming?" A low deep growl now escaped the confines of his throat.

"N-No," Miroku stuttered nervously. "I only meant that, um that…" he trailed off slowly, knowing what was coming. Miroku sighed deeply. "Alright," he said in a like mourn-like voice. "Just get it over with."

The last thing Miroku saw was Inuyasha's trademark half-smirk – half grin pasted upon his face.

**Meanwhile**

BOOM!

Sango and Kagome turned around when they heard the loud painful thump. Laughter came floating into their eyes as they saw the monk lying in a dazed state on the ground with Inuyasha standing above him, flexing his fist.

"Inuyasha," Kagome called back. "What did you do?" She placed her hands on her hips to emphasize her feelings.

"Feh," Inuyasha responded, sneering and craning his head sharply. "I didn't do anything. He got exactly what was comin' to him." '_No body insults Kagome around me and gets away with it_,' he thought viciously while staring at the monks limp body. Inuyasha stepped over his drooping form and walked over to the two women, the fox and neko youkai trailing up behind him.

Kagome was about to yell at Inuyasha for his rudeness when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned her neck to see Sango shaking her head.

"Don't even bother, Kagome," said the demon slayer. "Whatever he did, I'm sure he deserved it." She began to walk past Kagome and Inuyasha and toward the still unmoving monk. Sango gave him a strong kick to the head, causing the rest of the group to flinch in response.

"Wake up, lecher," she shouted loudly as she kicked him hard once again, this time in the center of his gut. As soon as her foot made contact the third time, Miroku slowly opened his eyes.

"Oh sweet Kami," Miroku muttered in a stupor like tone. He gazed up at Sango. His eyes had a glassy look to them, almost like he was experiencing a wonderful dream. "What is this miraculous creature before me?" Miroku's voice stayed hushed and soft, as if not wanting to break the peace. "Have thou delivered a beautiful angel to me in His mercy?" he asked no one in particular.

At this comment, Inuyasha and Kagome looked at each other in confused glances, wondering what the hell he was babbling about. They wondered whether or not this was Miroku's true feelings for Sango.

Kagome stared at Sango, who was watching Miroku's face intently. She seemed to be looking for any clues of truth. '_I wonder how she really feels about Miroku_,' thought Kagome. But her thoughts were halted when she noticed Sango bend down on her knees to be almost at level with Miroku.

"Houshi?" Sango asked in a whispery tone. She nudged his shoulder a bit, attempting to awake him from his stupor. "Miroku," she said again, bending even lower. Her voice now held something akin to worry in it. "Miroku, please wake up. Speak to me, are you alright." Sango bent her head even closer. She thought that if she could hear any sign for his breathing that she would feel better. More reassured. But as she came closer and closer Miroku's hand carefully crept its way further from his side.

Worry ceased Sango's brow, and just as she was about to call for help, she felt the familiar, yet not entirely unwelcome, clamp upon her buttocks. That, in its entirety was all the proof she needed. In response to this action, Sango balled her fist and brought it slamming down on the monks head, waking him out of his daze.

Miroku sat up with a jolt, only to face an angry Sango and the rest of company shaking their heads sadly. He wondered what was wrong, but he noticed how closer his left hand was to Sango. Then it hit him. "Gah," he exclaimed. "Sango, I'm sorry! It wasn't me, it's my hand; it's cursed." Although he pleaded, they couldn't save him from the angry slayers wrath.

Sango reached her hand over and behind her back and grasped Hirakotsu. In a smooth fluid motion, she brought it wailing down upon the monks head. After attacking him a few more times, Sango then decided that she had enough. She replaced Hirakotsu on her back, walked back to Inuyasha and Kagome, picked up Kirara and continues along the snow-covered path while quietly mewing to her kitten.

As she ventured, she left a very startled Inuyasha and Kagome, a confused Shippo, and an extremely agitated Miroku.

**Later that night**

The group sat inside Kaede's hut, either asleep or thoroughly basking in the warmth of the fire. Miroku had been the first to go to sleep, a result of his tremendous beating delivered by Sango. Sango laid asleep curled up under a blanket with Kirara resting in the crook of her arm. And Shippo had recently gone to bed after multiple hours of coloring and eating pocky. That left only Kagome and Inuyasha awake.

Well, sort of.

Kagome was half awake, half asleep. She was resting on her sleeping bag with her eyes closed. But Inuyasha knew better; he knew she wasn't asleep; her breathing wasn't steady enough yet.

He carefully crawled over to Kagome, watching so as not to wake the others. When her reached her, he tapped her shoulder, whispering, "Psst, Kagome. Kagome, wake up. I know you're not sleeping."

She responded with an annoyed and groggy, "yeah, but I'm trying to. Go to sleep, will ya." Kagome rolled onto her side, turning her back to the hanyou. She wanted to go to sleep and really didn't need to deal with him at this time of night, no matter what she wanted.

But he wasn't going to give up that easily. No way! Inuyasha noticed that part of her cream-colored neck was left uncovered. This gave him an idea; he brought his lips down to her sweet smelling skin and began to leisurely kiss it, dragging his lips across her bare flesh.

Kagome felt this and enjoyed it. The sensation tickled and amused her. It woke her up completely. All traces of sleep flew from her body the moment Inuyasha touched her. She felt compelled to give _her_ Inuyasha a proper kiss now. One that she knew he wanted.

Kagome did a 180 and whirled around to face him. With a suggestive smile, she slowly snaked her arms up and around his neck, locking on and bringing Inuyasha even closer to her face then before.

Inuyasha seized the opportunity and attached his lips to hers as if wagging war with someone. Before he could even ask for passage to her mouth with his tongue, Kagome opened it, granting Inuyasha full exploration of her hidden cavity. This move on her part shocked Inuyasha; never had Kagome been so bold and forward.

Trying something new, Inuyasha detached their mouths and brought his down to her neck, sucking and nipping gently at the smooth ivory skin. His teeth nibbled and bit, almost drawing blood, but not quite; always soothing the pain he might have cause her by licking her flesh softly.

Kagome felt this and moaned out loud at the experience, not caring too much about who heard. She wanted him to continue and never stop this tremendously terrifying and unbearably bittersweet torture upon her body.

The noises which escaped her lips fueled Inuyasha to be bolder even more. Testing his luck, Inuyasha crawled his hand to the hem of her nightshirt, inching it up carefully. Either Kagome didn't know or didn't care about his actions for she slowly picked her stomach up off the ground.

Inuyasha almost had his hand fully inside her shirt, when the loud mutter of Shippo stopped him in his tracks. He glanced towards the young kit, making sure he was asleep, and then lifted himself off of Kagome. Looking into her eyes, Inuyasha noticed that they were full of disappointment. He knew that Kagome has yearned for him as much as he for her.

Bending down, Inuyasha whispered into her ear, "another time, another day." He then brought his lips to her forehead and gave it a kiss.

Inuyasha was about to move over to his own corner when Kagome pushed herself up and kissed him chastely. "Good night, Inuyasha," she whispered.

"Good night," he responded back.

They both then went to their respective places and departed into a land a slumber. The last thing either of them noticed was the dying embers of the fire and one or two lonely snowflakes blowing in through the door.

* * *

Please keep reviewing. I want at least 85 before I add Chapter 10. And be sure to criticize me too. 

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnEs**

Akutenchi - You're such a character. Here's your update. Be sure to dance crazily.

Rayia - Thank you.

Anime-Devil-101 - Thanx. Yeah,I probably would too.

Kagomegirl56 - I'm glad you like the story. I think dismay means, to be upset. Just guessing.

EternalSky - WOW! Thank you very much. I love it when people say I'm a good writer. it makes me want to SING! Nah just kidding. But it does feel good.

InuandKagforever - Just like you love it when i update, I love it when you review. And you always like my chapters, so that makes me smile. I really hoped you liked this chapter. I respect your answers so let me ask, do you think I should put a LEMON in, or not? A lot of people want it, but is it too soon? What do you think?

lyn- Here ya go.

laquasha - I'mglad it made you laugh. I enjoyed writing it.

Liz - Glad you liked it. Here's the update. Didja like?

robin-my-twin - Alright.


	10. Sunrise and Breakfast

Hi readers, it's the one and only, **Perky-Thief**; your humble and boring writer. Just here to say thank you for helping me to reach my _100 Reviews Goal_. THANX! You have no idea how happy you made me. (In the words of my faithful reviewers, dances crazily)

Anyway, sorry it took me so long to update, runs and hides behind computer. Like I said in the last chapter, I was away in Florida. **Thank God for making Disney World! **And it was SOOOO nice; it was like 80 degrees. And thank you to Tara for making my vacation so special. I loved getting all the Disney Princess's Autographs (yes, we got **_ALL_** of them) with you. Time can't ever erase that experience.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter:Sunrise and Breakfast

Pairings: Inuyasha & Kagome, Miroku & Sango

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

Inuyasha leaped over the trees early in the morning, before the sun had even yet to rise. Although the air was cool and crisp, there was no breeze, thus making it a fairly decent day for the winter season. The powdery white snow covering the ground gave the woods a calm and serene feeling. Inuyasha liked that; this was _his_ forest after all.

Kagome had her arms draped around Inuyasha's shoulders, attempting to hang on due to his incredibly fast pace. Inuyasha had woken her up from her warm, quiet, peaceful slumber only moments ago. And thought she was not happy about it, Kagome didn't complain. Inuyasha told her that he had a surprise waiting for her, and this intrigued her greatly so she did not speak.

They traveled together, both in a silent union with one another. Yet, after a few minutes Inuyasha turned to a drowsy Kagome and whispered, "Just a little bit further. We'll be there soon."

Kagome nodded. "Will you please tell me what you're taking me to see?" She shifted her body to be more comfortable. "You're driving me insane."

Inuyasha smirked, "be patient, wench. We'll get there soon enough. And stop wiggling so much; you're not a fucking worm, you know."

A frown wrinkled Kagome's face as she nudged him in the ribs. "Shut up," she said. "I know, it's just really hard to get comfortable when racing through the woods at a thousand miles per hour."

"Feh," Inuyasha said. "You're making it worse than it actually is. Besides, we're almost there; so just keep your pants on, alright." Inuyasha made a sharp turn left and grinned when he felt Kagome's grip on him tighten. He liked how she placed her head on his shoulder. "Scared, wench?"

Kagome didn't answer, she simply buried her head deeper into the hanyou's silvery-white hair, hiding from the wind and inhaling his scent.

A few minutes and whips of wind later, and Inuyasha had stopped his dashing tread through the forest and came to rest at an enormous cliff. "Kagome," he said, causing her to lift her head up off his shoulder. "Look."

He pointed out into the distance and all Kagome could do was gasp. Before her eyes in the vast expanse were beautifully chiseled mountains sitting in front of a striking sunrise. "Oh, Inuyasha," she exclaimed softly. "It's gorgeous. Was this what you wanted to show me?"

He nodded firmly, his eyes focused upon the vastness. "Yeah. Do you like it?"

"I love it, it's wonderful." Kagome dismounted off Inuyasha's back and walked around to face him. She gave him a tiny quick kiss on his nose. "Thank you," she said with a smile. Sighing deeply, Kagome turned back to the scenery to watch the daybreak with content.

A smirk graced Inuyasha's features as she turned her back to him. Taking a step forward, he placed his arms possessively over and around her shoulders, locking Kagome in his tight embrace. She didn't resist or try to wriggle free; she only leaned more into his hug, relishing the moment. "I love you," said Inuyasha in a faint, but definite whisper.

Kagome smiled widely. "And I, you," she responded.

They stood there collectively for a bit, watching the hues of orange and yellow emitted from the upcoming dawn. Only after the sun had risen to its full place in the sky did Inuyasha and Kagome make ready to leave.

And before long, Inuyasha had himself and Kagome back at Kaede's hut before anyone had even woken.

"Feh," Inuyasha stated, glancing inside at the group of sleeping people. "Stupid mortals. Always spending their time sleeping the day away."

"Excuse me," Kagome said. "But incase you're forgetting, I'm also one of those _stupid mortals_." She stalked up to his face with a look of anger and annoyance drilled across her features.

Inuyasha lowered himself slightly and started cowering just from seeing her walk towards him. He really wasn't in the mood to be yelled at today, and not by her of all people. Kagome stared him in the eyes and started shouting directly at him, "And just for your information, my dear Inuyasha…" she paused, and Inuyasha was shocked at what he heard next. Her voice came out sounding kind sugary sweet, "We're not all as strong as you." She ran her finger from the tip of his chin down to the middle of his chest. "And ya know," Kagome had lowered her voice an octave. "I really _love_ that you're stronger than me. It lets me know that you're in charge." A smile slowly spread suggestively across her rosy lips.

Standing up to his full height, Inuyasha smirked arrogantly. "Heh, that's right, I am stronger than all you useless mortals. And that's how it should be." He folded his arms neatly across his chest, trying to show off his manliness.

Kagome smiled and cuddled against Inuyasha, still keeping her sweet voice. "You're right; you're exactly right, Inuyasha. You _are_ stronger than all of us. And that's why I think you should be the one to go get breakfast."

Inuyasha's jaw nearly dropped to the ground. "What? Are you fucking kidding me?"

Kagome released him and stood back a few feet with a look of mock-confusion. "I don't understand, what do you mean? I thought you said that you were the strongest out of all of us weak mortals. That's what you said. You weren't lying to me, were you?"

"B-but," Inuyasha stuttered. He stood looking dumbfounded for a minute then sighed loudly. "I walked right into that one, didn't I?"

A giggled escaped Kagome's smiling lips, "yup."

He sighed once again. "I thought so."

Inuyasha sunk his shoulders and made way to turn back towards the woods, but was stopped when Kagome grabbed him and locked him in girlish squeeze. "While you're out, could you bring back some firewood, please?" And without waiting for an answer, she said, "thanks, love you."

Skipping inside the hut, Kagome left Inuyasha looking and feeling quite stupid. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever," Inuyasha muttered. He sulked away towards the woods, deciding that he'd still end up getting breakfast even if he didn't go now.

Kagome stood in the doorway of Kaede's tiny hut, watching Inuyasha's form depleting into the forest. She smiled thinking, '_that's why I love him_.' A soft moan sounded behind her, prompting Kagome to turn around. She saw Shippo in her sleeping bag, slowly waking up. '_Hmph, at least _he_ got some sleep_,' Kagome thought to herself.

"Kagome," Shippo said, half-asleep. "What are you doing?" He looked around the room, then back at Kagome, "where'd Inuyasha go?"

"Nothing, Shippo," Kagome said. "Come on, it's time to get up. Inuyasha's out getting us breakfast." She smiled, walking towards the young kit.

The word 'breakfast' seemed to be the one thing that got through to Shippo because he immediately perked up at the sound of it. "Yay," he shouted. "I hope he brings back fish. We haven't had fish in ages." Shippo licked his lips in a hopeful burst of anticipation.

Kagome was staring longingly at the adorable little kit when she heard Sango's muffled voice saying, "thanks a lot for waking me up, Shippo."

"Heh, sorry, Sango," Shippo said, red tinting his cheeks.

She pushed herself up from laying down on her bed mat into an upright sitting position. Her dark chocolate hair was disheveled but she seemed well rested. "Good morning, Kagome. Did Shippo wake you up too?" she asked, casting a sidelong accusing glance at the blushing fox youkai.

Before Kagome could reply, Shippo cut in, "no, Kagome was awake before any of us. She made Inuyasha go get breakfast. I hope its fish."

"Oh," was Sango's reply. Suddenly, confusion dawned upon her face. "You mean he actually did this of his own free will."

Kagome grinned sheepishly. "No, not really. I kind of tricked him into doing it. Reverse psychology works really well on him."

Sango smirked. "I thought so. Just getting up and deciding to retrieve breakfast doesn't sound like _our_ Inuyasha. I would've thought that he was too lazy to actually do anything kind like that."

"Who the hell are you callin' lazy?" an irritated voice shouted.

All three of them turned their heads towards the large doorway to see Inuyasha standing there with skinned and cleaned rabbit in one hand, and a brownish-colored sac in the other. He dropped the items he was carrying on the ground. "There you go," Inuyasha said. "Breakfast is served." He took a seat on a woven mat on the floor, leaning back against the wall and closing his eyes.

"Hey, Inuyasha," Kagome said in annoyance.

"Yeah?"

"How are we supposed to this cook this without a fire? We can't eat it raw. I thought I asked you to get fire wood."

"Yeah, I know." Inuyasha seemed undisturbed by her attitude. He hadn't even opened his eyes to glance at her.

Kagome's patience seemed to be wearing thin. Her arms rested against her chest and she was tapping her foot impatiently. "Well? What do you suggest we do?"

Inuyasha shrugged his shoulders. "Make a fire."

That was it; that did it. Kagome couldn't stand his nonchalant attitude anymore. It was driving her insane. She stood up and stomped over to his side. "How are we supposed to make a fire? Huh! We have only raw meat, and nothing else! So you tell me what to do!"

Inuyasha opened his eyes and looked at her. In a serious voice, he said, "well I got the food, just like you asked. I also got the fire wood, _just like you asked_. But you never, not once, said anything about actually making the fire. If you want that, you gotta do it on your own."

Annoyance rippled through Kagome; she shook with anger. "Inuyasha…" her voice came out in a tight and harsh whisper. "SIT, SIT, SIT!"

A strangled sounding 'huh?' escaped free from Inuyasha's throat, before he pummeled into the floor numerous times, causing multiple dents in the ground and a long tear in the mat. Lifting his head off of the floor, Inuyasha murmured a painful, "why does she always do that?"

Sango took it upon herself to answer his question. "It's because you are so inconsiderate to her, and you don't even notice it." She began packing up her bedroll and placing it to the side. "Why don't you try being a little nicer to her?"

"Feh, whatever," Inuyasha muttered. He looked around and discovered that Kagome was no longer in the hut with him and the others. "Where'd that wench go now?" Inuyasha got up and walked over to the door. He peered out carefully through the side and smirked when he saw Kagome taking the wood and building a fire pit.

Deciding to help her out a bit, Inuyasha picked up the food he had brought back and walked outside. "Here," Inuyasha said, kneeling down next to Kagome whom was currently stacking the wood. He took the rabbit and positioned it on a spit and then placed it over the fire pit. "Hey, um, I'm sorry I was kinda cold to you before."

Kagome shrugged. "It's okay. I was sort of mean too, I guess. I should've sat you. I was just a little annoyed."

Inuyasha put his arm around her shoulder, holding her close to him. "What's bugging you?"

"It's nothing," Kagome said. She resumed her work on the fire, pulling out to pieces of flint and igniting a flame.

"You're lying, I know you are. I know when something's bothering you. You always get this weird look on your face and start acting very distant."

She turned the rabbit over a couple of times. "It's just that… it's just that we never have any time alone together. Or, when we do, it always gets interrupted and doesn't last long." Kagome sighed. "I'm only annoyed because I truly want to spend time with you and I feel like I'm being denied that privilege. It's not fair." She slumped her shoulders and diverted her attention away from Inuyasha and on the now slowly roasting meal.

Inuyasha smiled and kissed her temple lightly. He was joyful inside; Kagome really and truly did care about him. She was actually sad about not being with him. "Don't worry," Inuyasha stated. "Soon there will be a time when it's just you and me. No one else. Just us." He held her tight and murmured, "Sometime soon. Real soon."

At that moment Shippo and Sango came out, with a drowsy Miroku trailing not too far behind. "Good morning, everyone," Miroku yawned. He pulled his blanket tighter around his shoulders, trying to shield himself from the cold. His drooping eyes immediately perked up when he saw the roasting meat on the fire. "Hey," Miroku said. "You got breakfast!" He took a seat, next to Sango, on a log opposite the fire and began waiting patiently for the rabbit to be fully cooked.

"Yeah, yeah," Inuyasha said, rotating the spit. "Be patient. It'll be done in a minute."

"YAY!" a joyful Shippo shouted. He was currently holding the brown bag upside down, gawking at a pile of fish which had fallen from it. "Hey look, Inuyasha brought back fish!"

Kagome grinned happily at the adorable sight. She picked up three fish and placed them on the burning hot coals in the fire to cook. "You can eat them in a few minutes, okay Shippo."

The young kit nodded eagerly at the thought of fulfilling his cravings. "Mmm, thanks, Kagome."

"You're welcome, Shippo," she said. At seeing the wide grin pasted on the kits face, Kagome could only smile in response.

Inuyasha grunted in annoyance. "Ya know, you spoil him too much, Kagome."

"I do not," she responded.

"Feh, you do too. How's he supposed to grow up and be a man if you keep babying him all the time?"

Kagome stayed silent. She sort of had to agree with Inuyasha. '_I guess, in a way, I do spoil Shippo a little bit sometimes_,' Kagome thought inwardly. Ignoring her previous ideas, she said, "Enough talk about that kind of stuff, lets just eat. The meat's ready now."

Inuyasha snorted. "Tryin' to change the subject, huh wench? Well, I'll let it slide this time." He reached his hand cautiously into the fiery pit and withdrew a, wonderfully scented, smoked fish. Gnawing down, Inuyasha ripped out a large chunk as he began to inhale his breakfast.

**Later that day**

"Kagome," Sango said. "Can I ask you a question?" She glanced around the tiny room once more to make sure they were alone.

"Yeah sure, Sango, anything." Kagome abandoned her task of tidying up and organizing her backpack to talk to her best friend. "What did you need?"

"Well," she started off. "It's about you…and Inuyasha."

A frown graced Kagome's face. '_What does she know?_,' she thought secretly. "What about me and Inuyasha?" Kagome was honestly curious as to what Sango had to say to her. She just hoped it wasn't anything too embarrassing.

"Um… well…" Sango drawled on, not exactly sure of how to begin. "Well, I'm not exactly of the time, but... sometime early this morning; I woke up to get a drink from the stream. I was really thirsty," Sango stated, trying to justify herself. She paused, making sure that she had Kagome's full attention. "And everything was fine except for the fact that both you _and_ Inuyasha were missing from the hut." A look half crossed between accusation and worry was written all over her face. "Would you like to tell me where you were?"

'**O**_h my Kami, what am I gonna do?_' Kagome thought hastily. She wasn't exactly too keen on revealing her relationship with Inuyasha without his consent. Taking a deep breath, Kagome looked Sango square in the eye. "No," she said.

Sango's jaw dropped. Had Kagome actually said 'no' to her? That was it; Sango wanted answers, and she was going to get them. "Well…why not?"

Kagome shrugged innocently. "I just don't feel like telling you, that's why?" She swirled around and started tending to her backpack once again.

"But, Kagome..." Sango whined with puppy eyes. "I want to know. Why won't you tell me?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

A sigh escaped Kagome's mouth. This was getting really aggravating. "Because it's none of your business where I went with Inuyasha."

"Ah-ha," Sango shouted. "So you _were_ with Inuyasha." A triumphant smiled seemed to be pasted to her face.

'_Shit_,' Kagome thought. She mentally scolded herself for letting that information slip. _'I better play this right_.' "So what if I was?" she asked. "It's not like anything happened." Technically, she was telling the truth, nothing _did_ happen. They were only watching the sun rise. Kagome was silent for a moment, pondering on what to say.

"Well," said Sango, now anxious to hear more of Kagome's little escapades.

"Well what?" she responded.

"Where were you?" The restlessness in Sango's tone was evident of where her interests were laid.

Kagome sighed for what seemed like the millionth time. '_What the hell…_' she thought. Sango already knew a little bit of information. '_What's the harm in telling her where I actually was_?' "Inuyasha woke me early in the morning and said he had a surprise for me. So I got on his back and let him take me to wherever he had planned. When we arrived, we were at this enormous cliff. And just beyond the horizons…was the sun. He had taken me to a secluded little spot to watch the sunrise with him." By the time Kagome had finished, a faint blush rested upon her cheeks in remembrance.

Sango was silent; she appeared to be carefully studying Kagome. After a moment, her face broke out into a smile. "Oh my gosh, Kagome," she said. "You are so lucky. Oh, that is so cute, and quite romantic of Inuyasha; I didn't think he had it in him." Sango gazed dreamily out into nothing. Switching gears, she eagerly said, "Did you kiss him yet? Has he kissed you?"

"Now, Sango," said Kagome. "You know I don't kiss and tell." Although Kagome started out being frightened at the thought of dispersing secrets, she now found it very fun and relaxing.

Sango frowned, her joy lessening a bit. "Make an exception, please."

A sneaky grinned allowed itself to sneak up onto her face. "Well, if you really want to know," Kagome said. "…yes, we kissed; millions of times." An exhilarating blush shone brightly on her features.

If Sango's squeal was loud before, then the one she just released had to cause earthquakes somewhere. "Oh, Kagome, this is so great. Someday, the two of you will announce your love to the world, and everybody will be happy. Then you'll end up getting married, and then you'll both have kids. Of course I'd be known as Auntie Sango. Oh you'd be such a great mother, Kagome."

"Sango please," she said. "I think it's a bit early to start thinking about things like that. Let's just let time tell."

After relaxing down slightly, Sango replied, "you're right. I'm getting a little ahead of myself." She took a long calming breath, though the beaming smile never vanished from her face.

Kagome grinned both inwardly and out. Although the thought of it made her turn to a crimson color, Kagome really didn't mind the idea of being married to Inuyasha and having his children. '_Someday_,' she told herself. '_Someday soon hopefully_.'

* * *

Once again, sorry it took me so long to update. PLEASE FORGIVE ME! Don't forget to Reivew:)**

* * *

**

**ReViEw ReSpOnEs**

**kl **– WOW! That's a lot of reviews. Did you really like it?

**Anime-Devil-101** – Thank you very much. Sorry it took me a while. I did have a nice time, it was really fun. Where did you go when you went? I'm interested.

**Kalara** – Yeah, I know. I like criticism, strange huh? But I HATE flamers. So be nice. I've been thinking about it and I decided I won't wait until I have a certain amount of reviews, but it may still take me a while to update. I'm making this story up as I go, so if you have any ideas, just shout 'em out. (And _please please please_ don't make people suffer, j/k.)

**Rayia **– I hope you liked it. Yeah, I want Sango and Miroku to have a growing relationship, too. But I'm not sure if it'll go as fast as Inuyasha's and Kagome's.

**lyn** – Enjoy!

**anonymous –** Thank you so much.

**Jolaine** – Hey, thanks. Did you like this chapter?

**Liz** - grins widely thank you. I'm glad you liked it and I'm always happy to make my readers laugh. I tried to keep him as close to his actual character as possible.

**XXAerisrmffXX** – I think I said this to someone else too, I've decided to wait for a certain amount of reviews for updates, I'm just gonna wait till I'm ready for them. Thank you very much; I tried my best to capture their personalities. Don't worry, it takes a lot to offend me, you'll probably never be able to do it.

**InuandKagforever** – Thank you, thank you, and thank you. As always, I love your reviews. Those were my favorite parts also; I have a really fun time writing them. Why wouldn't I respect your judgment? I love what you have to say, it's fun to read. I agree; I want to treat Inuyasha's and Kagome's relationship like a real one. It has to progress slowly. Sorry that it took me so long to update, I've been away. I a wait what you have to say about Chapter 10.

**hanyouluver67** – Thanx a lot.

**Lady of the Westlands** – It's alright, just let me know what you think of this chapter.

**Glittelbug** – Thank you. I like your name, it sounds cute. :)

**tracey** – Wow, I got someone hooked, dances stupidly. Thank you.

**sesshy'zgurl** – Ha, I guess that kinda is a funny sentence, but honestly, I don't review what I write. I just type it. So be on the look out for more dumb statements, there's probably a million.

**Mistress Inuyasha** – Thanx.

**Inu-Fan-5** – Thank you. I can tell by your name that you're an Inuyasha Fan, so I guess that's a big complement. HEY, I got 2 reviews from you. Hehe. This another time is coming soon.

**Felina Noctis** – Alright, alright. I'm writing!

**Inuyasha's Only Daughter** – Thank you very much. I know how that feels. I used to read stories during my free time at lunch, and I'd always be so subconscious of someone watching what I read. (A lot of the time it wasn't meant for prying eyes.)

**drummergrrlrox** – Gee, thanks. blush blush. I get embarrassed when people say I'm a good writer. But thank you, none the less. I like your suggestion; if I use though I'd be sure to give you the credit. Who knows, it may come up in a future chapter. But thanks, comments or thoughts are always appreciated by me.


	11. Sick Miroku and New Confessions

Hello my wonderful readers, **Perky-Thief** here. There isn't really much to say about anything. Um…thanks for all the reviews I got, and um…I really don't know.

Oh, my school funded a Tsunami Relief Program and we had all our teachers compete in a Sumo Wrestling Contest. It was an interesting site to see. By selling over six hundred tickets and prizes and such, we raised over 5000.

Go us!

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Sick Miroku and New Confessions

Pairings: Inuyasha & Kagome, Miroku & Sango

* * *

**Winter Wonderland **

Kagome and Sango still remained inside the hut; Kagome organizing her things, and Sango preserving the left-over meat.

"Hey," Inuyasha said as he entered the hut.

The sound of his voice made both of the dainty girls jump slightly, startled. However, the both recovered in a speedy amount of time. "Oh, Inuyasha," Kagome said. "What is it?"

"Come on, girls. I'm getting bored just waiting around here. Let's get going and start lookin' for some Jewel Shards." His voice was one with an anxious tone in it.

"But, Inuyasha," Kagome said sweetly. "Maybe we should just take the day off. I mean, look outside, the sun is shinning brightly and it's awfully warm for winter."

Inuyasha shook his head, "no. You've had over two weeks off. It's time to get back on the road."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome said, standing up. "You can't consider the time that I was sick 'time off.' That didn't count. You wouldn't even let me leave the Shrine." Folding her arms across her chest, she seemed to be trying to make a point.

'_She does have a point_,' thought Inuyasha. He sneered to himself; NO, he could not wait any longer. They've been putting off the search for too long. "I don't care. We've waited too long. It's time to go." His hair flicked back as he turned around sharply and head to the doorway.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said. "This time I mean it when I say 'SIT.'"

The hanyou slammed into the ground with an amazing speed. "Kagome, why…?" he muttered weakly.

Kagome stomped over to the distraught demon. "Inuyasha, if you're so intent on looking for the Jewel Shards then go, but I'm staying here. I'm not done with my work yet and when I am, I don't plan on wasting this beautiful day. So go if you like, and I'll see you back here in a week." She turned around and went back to organizing her things with her back turned towards Inuyasha.

Regaining his strength, Inuyasha stood up and walked outside, leaving a seething Kagome and slightly confused Sango inside Kaede's hut. He sat down fiercely on the log ear the fire pit. Miroku and Shippo were still sitting there enjoying the oncoming heat. "Can you believe her?' Inuyasha shouted to no one in particular.

Shippo, however, responded to his question. "Believe who?"

"That stupid wench," he said angrily.

"What happened?" Shippo asked.

"She wants to take the day off," Inuyasha sneered. "As we didn't have enough time to relax."

Miroku coughed. "You know, Inuyasha, she could still be feeling sick. Maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea if we delayed our journey for just one more day." He sneezed twice and coughed once again.

This got Inuyasha's attention directed towards the monk. "What's the matter with you?" he asked.

"Nothing's the matter," Miroku said quickly. "I'm perfectly fine." He released a sneeze, which ended up denying his previous statement.

Shippo had a puzzled look on his face. "But, Miroku," the young kit said. "That wasn't what you just told me."

Miroku rotated his head toward the little demon. "Let's talk about this later, Shippo. Okay?"

"No," Inuyasha butted in. "Let's talk about this now. What exactly did Miroku just tell you?" He had a curious smile on his face; he was interested in knowing what the monk was hiding from him.

"He said th-" Shippo stopped abruptly when Miroku had slapped is hand over the kit's mouth, preventing him from speaking.

"Honestly, Inuyasha, it's nothing." Miroku tightened his hold on the fox-youkai. For a moment, Miroku seemed sure that Shippo would be quiet. But what Miroku didn't count on was Shippo suddenly and easily wriggling out of his grasp and biting down hard on the monk's hand. Miroku yelped and quickly withdrew his, now red, hand from Shippo's mouth.

Inuyasha grinned at the humorous sight of Miroku being upped by a kid.

Shippo stared at Miroku. "Just because of that, I'm telling Inuyasha." He turned towards Inuyasha, who was quietly waiting out this whole ordeal. "Miroku told me that he wasn't feeling good and that he wanted to stay here today. I think he's sick; that's why he was sneezing before."

"Is that true, Miroku?"

"He probably didn't want to say anything because he thought he'd look weak," Shippo said.

"Thanks, Shippo," Miroku said glumly. "Really, Inuyasha, I'm fine. It's just a little head cold. It'll be gone in an hour."

Inuyasha could easily see through that lie without a problem. Without warning, he stood up and left the camp. He headed back to the hut. Inuyasha stuck his head in and said to Sango and Kagome, "The monk's sick; we're taking the day off." After that was said, he left.

When he was gone Kagome and Sango turned and looked at each other, dumbstruck.

"Sango," Kagome said.

"Yeah."

"What was that?"

Sango glanced at her friend. "You know what, Kagome," she said. "I have no idea."

**Later that day**

Miroku laid inside the hut with a blanket covering him pulled up to his neck. Sango kneeled down next to him, making sure he was comfortable.

Kagome had been gracious enough to recreate the fire pit inside of Kaede's home. A steaming pot of hot stew was placed on the fire, also a courtesy of Kagome. Even Inuyasha wanted Miroku to get better. And true to that, he had gone out with Shippo and Kaede, and retrieved some fresh herbs that he thought might help.

So now, it was just Sango and Miroku alone in the tiny hut. Kaede had taken his temperature and verified that Miroku did, indeed, have a fever. She said that it was most likely the same thing that Kagome had come down with.

"Are you feeling any better, Miroku," Sango asked in concern.

The monk nodded weakly, "yeah. It's just a little cold. I told you, I'm fine. There's really no need to fuss over me like this." He tried to sit up, but immediately fell back down.

"See," Sango said with a small smile. She placed a damp cloth across his forehead. "This fever has made your bones weak. You can't even sit up without help." She reached over and pulled his blanket back up to cover him.

His hand, however, grabbed a hold of hers in the process. "My wonderful darling, Sango," Miroku said. "I just want to thank you for taking such tender care of me during my hard times."

The demon slayer gaped at his statement. "Of course, Miroku," Sango said. "You should know that even though you can be an annoying lecher, I'll always take care of you."

Miroku nodded, a serious look painted on his face. At that moment, his hand had crept upon its target and took hold in a firm grasp. He clenched his fist, squeezing Sango's butt cheek in the process.

Sango froze at the unwanted contact. She slowly rotated her head in direction to where the monk lay. A harsh glare was directed his way with haste. If looks could kill, Miroku would have been dead ten times over.

Upon noticing this look, Miroku withdrew his hand, much to his dismay, from Sango's lower armor. Her creamy white hand became balled up into a fist, and before Miroku could even beg for any type of forgiveness, Sango pummeled his skull with an enraged cry of "Hentai."

Now spotting a lovely bump, Miroku glanced towards to fiery demon slayer with a look of sympathy. "Sango, I couldn't help it. It's the hand! I swear, it's cursed. I promise you, it's not me!"

She was twitching slightly as she stared down at him with a look of disgust. "I can't believe you! Even when you're sick you still manage to be a pervert."

Miroku smiled nervously. "Yes, but only to you, my dear."

Sango stopped twitching and lessened her glare. She studied him; trying to figure out exactly how his mind worked and what his heart felt. After minutes of silence, she broke it by saying, "Why?"

The monk looked somewhat confused. "Why what?" he asked.

"Why only me?"

He took Sango's hands in his own, squeezing only a little. "Because you're the only one who makes me feel the way I do." A solemn expression dawned upon his face.

Sango gulped. She was torn deeply. Her mind was telling her to walk out of the hut, but her heart was saying to stay and hear him out. "And how is that?" Sango asked cautiously. "How do I make you feel?"

Miroku smiled weakly, "you make me feel…" He paused, staring deep into her chocolate brown eyes. "You make me feel like no other man in the universe. Like I couldn't be happier even if I tried; like I'm a king. When I'm around you, I feel like I can take on anything and win without a problem. It's that feeling, Sango, which makes me happy when I'm near you. Your presence is what keeps me uplifted half of the time. Without you, I feel incomplete."

"Miroku…" Sango said. She smiled. '_Is this really my houshi?'_ she asked herself. '_He's never said anything like this to me before_.'

"Please don't question or doubt anything I've just told you," he added in quickly. "It's all one hundred percent true and accurate." He was wearing a small smile and eyes full of honesty on his face. It was the look of an adorable, but desperate, little puppy.

Sango held back the giggle that threatened to escape her lips when she saw the appearance on his face. "Miroku," she said in a sincere voice. "You know that I would never ever doubt anything you had to say to me." Sango brushed her hand across his forehead, sweeping the stray strands of hair out of his eyes.

Miroku pushed himself up and took a hold of Sango's hand once again. A genuine determination was etched into his soft features. In an earnest and heartfelt voice, he said, "Would you ever doubt me if I told I loved you?"

Sango gasped sharply, taking in breath quickly. Of all the things he could've said, this was one that she did not expect. Yet she froze for a second, unsure of how to answer.

Seeing the uncertainty swimming in her eyes, Miroku dropped Sango's hand. He turned his head away, refusing to face her. "I'm sorry," he said sadly. "I shouldn't have said that. It was too forward." Miroku laid back down and turned his back to Sango. "You can leave now if you want."

"No," Sango stated.

This puzzled Miroku greatly. "No?" he questioned her, sitting back up to face her again.

"No," Sango said once again. "I wouldn't doubt you."

It took Miroku a moment to figure out what she was talking about. But when he did, it clicked immediately. "Wait," he said. "So, you wouldn't doubt that I love you?"

Sango shook her head, "No. Not ever in a million years." Sheer crystalline tears brimmed against the bottom of her eyes, threatening to fall to the floor. She couldn't come up with a reason for exactly why she was crying, it was something she couldn't seem to control. Maybe it was this new feeling that she was experiencing. Perhaps it was as Miroku had said; perhaps it was _love_.

Miroku, however, was just short of ecstatic by the wondrous confirmation that Sango had just given him. She had given him a new hope, one that made him want to jump for joy. Deciding against that, Miroku sprang towards Sango and embraced her tightly in his strong arms. "Thank you, my darling," he said. "You have no idea how happy you've just made me."

In a sudden burst of his excitement, Miroku thrust his head forward and placed his anxious lips upon Sango's cherry red ones. Only after he did this, did he realize exactly who was on the receiving end. His mind said 'back off'; but his heart said 'stay.' Wagering that in this particular case his mind was right, Miroku started to pull away quickly, but was shocked to find that Sango had placed her hand on the back of his neck, holding him tightly in place.

Miroku smiled into her mouth and was pleased to discover that, just like the color of her lips, the flavor of them was also a delightful cherry. He placed one of his hands on her waist, and the other in the middle of her back, pulling her closer to his chest. In response to this, she placed both of her hands on his broad shoulders to steady herself.

Running his tongue slowly and carefully across Sango's bottom lip, he silent sought out her permission to enter fully into her mouth. The need to investigate the sacred insides of her mouth was driving him mad in his insatiable appetite to be nearer her. It was a craving that Miroku felt would never be quenched.

Sango was grateful that Miroku had a steady grip upon her waist and back, for she felt that if he didn't, she would have easily fallen to the ground. She held no hesitation when he, wordlessly, informed her that he wanted to explore the caverns of her mouth more fully. Without any uncertainty, she parted her lips gracefully for Miroku, his to his enjoyment.

Miroku was thrilled at how easily she put her trust in him. For all she knew, he could turn and pounce on her at any moment. Though he would never do anything like that; he would never disgrace Sango's goddess-like body in such a shameful and dishonorable way.

Deciding to press his luck, Miroku slid the hand that was on Sango's back down into the inside of Sango's shirt. He began tracing tiny circles in the small of her back. Once again, he was dumbstruck when she neither pulled away nor slapped him. '_She must truly care about me_,' Miroku thought. '_To let me get away with something like this_.' It was almost unnerving at how easily she let him fulfill his desires.

Sango, meanwhile, was in a state of total and pure bliss. Her happiness couldn't be measured on any type of scale. Yet, for all of his lecherous ways, Miroku sure knew how to make a girl weak in the knees. He definitely had talent with his tongue, that couldn't be denied. Sango was in such a state of ecstasy, that she barely noticed Miroku slip his hand under her shirt.

His lips never leaving hers, Miroku gradually moved his hand from Sango's back, and brought it to her front. Starting from the top of her naval, he steadily trailed his fingers closer and closer to her breasts.

It was at that point that Sango knew it had gone too far. She pushed her hands against his chest, and thrust herself backwards. After quickly composing herself, Sango looked at Miroku, panting and out of breath.

Miroku was in the same state; gasping and breathless. He looked down at the floor in shame. Miroku knew that he had tested her limits one-too-many times, and may now have to pay the price. "Forgive me, Sango. I had no right." He shielded his eyes from her with his hanging black locks. Miroku felt pathetic; he should have known better than to rush ahead in something that he had no place doing.

Sango placed a hand on his shoulder, prompting him to face her once again. "Miroku, it's okay," she said. Sango scooted closer to him and replaced her hand on his shoulder with her head. "I'm sorry for jumping back, but you startled me…let's just take it a little slower next time, okay."

Miroku nodded in agreement. Despite her words, Miroku still had a lingering feeling of shame.

Sango noticed this and placed her fingers underneath his chin. She lifted it up to be level with her own and placed a chaste kiss upon them.

This seemed to be the encouragement that Miroku needed, for after this was done, he smiled at Sango's beautiful and hopeful face. "Thank you, Sango," he said with a soft grin. "I will wait till the end of time for you. I'll wait till you're ready."

"Thank you, Miroku." She stood up and walked toward the entrance of the hut and made way to leave, but not before blowing her new found love a kiss.

When she was truly gone, Miroku sat back and sighed. He couldn't believe his luck. How, in Kami, had he been fortunate enough to find a girl as good as Sango? It was there and then that he made a pact with himself; he said that he would drop all his lecherous acts he ever committed.

'_Well…maybe_,' he smiled to himself. I mean, come on, you can't always teach an old dog new tricks.

Miroku grinned inwardly. '_But then again_,' he thought. '_Sango's worth it…_'

**ReViEw ReSpOnSeS**

**Lyn** – Hey, you reviewed twice! Anything for the reader!

**Reika** – Thank you.

**InuandKagforever** – They will have their time alone soon, but I'm not going to tell you when. It's no fun when you know when something good's going to happen. Thank you for the cheers; they're well appreciated. Hey, I was just wondering how come you don't have an account on Fan Fiction. I bet you're a good writer.

**Glowgurl87 **– WOW, you read all 10 of them together. You must have really been hooked. I completely agree with you. If I find a story that has bad grammar and punctuation, I will usually drop it immediately.

**Crutches the magic hippie **– In answer to your questions: really soon, but not yet; yes, there will be; I am hiding the muffin man in my basement. He is currently helping me run an organized crime gang called 'the Bread Bakers Bunch'!

**Kaoru-chaness** – Gee, thanks. Don't sell your self short; I'm sure you're a fantastic writer. I'm glad you like my story. And I always love when I get new fans. It means a lot to me. And as for your question… I really don't know. But I will dwell on it for a while until the answer is revealed to me.

**Owari Nai Yumes** – Don't worry, there will definitely be more romances scenes for our favorite couple. (Without interruptions, I add.) Everyone's asking about that warning, but don't worry, it will come into play very soon. (Oh, I've heard you're name somewhere before; isn't it the name of some song?) I'd really like to know.

**Rayia** – Thank you very much; more is on the way.

**Inu-Fan-5** – Thanks, although I'm sure that there are better stories out there. And I admire people who are proud of what they like, especially Inuyasha. Always be an Inuyasha and Kagome fan.

**kawaii-inuyasha-riku **– Glad ya like it, Kelly.

**Kalara** – Thank you, I'll update as fast as I can.

**Drake Clawfang** – Well, I decided to do things a little different. I made Kagome the one who's starved for romance and Inuyasha the one who's taking things very calmly.

**Chibi Kitty6030 **– Thanx.

**Me** – Personally, I like the 'good guy' stories much better than anything else. And I'm not a big fan of overly violent stories; they get boring real quick. Thank you.

**Liz** – Wow, thank you very much, Liz. I'm not really that great; I'm just a novice. Why don't you write, what's stopping you? I'm sure you'd be a great writer. I wrote stories at home before I put them on the computer. Since you seem to like Inuyasha, why don't you write about that? If you ever actually do, be sure to let me know, I'd be interested in reading them.

**Inupupluvr **– Doumo arigatou. I hope you liked it.

**Anime-Devil-101** – Thank you, Devil. Yeah, Disney is the best. But the friend I was with is the biggest chicken in the whole wide world. We didn't get to go on practically any rides. The only one we did go on was Pirates of the Caribbean, and she still freaked out!


	12. Goodbye Koga, Hello Awkwardness

Moshi Moshi, kind readers. It is I, **Perky-Thief**. Much apology to all the fans whom I have kept waiting for an update, but please forgive me. Chapter 12 had been written for quite a while but my computer was in desperate need of repairs. But now that my lovely computer's fixed, the new chapter is here. Yay for me!

No, but seriously, I hope you enjoy it. And I'm also running out of ideas for future chapters, so anyone with a good thought, please review and include your idea. It'd be greatly appreciated.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Goodbye Koga, Hello Awkwardness

Pairings: Inuyasha & Kagome, Sango & Miroku

**Winter Wonderland**

Kagome squealed girlishly from her sitting position behind Kaede's hut. Her eyes scanned over the inside room, containing Miroku, and previously Sango. A smile soared across her lips when she heard Miroku's confession. At that moment, she couldn't be happier for Sango. "Did you hear that," she commented quietly to Shippo and Inuyasha, whom sat in a bored-like state behind her. "He said that he loved her. Isn't that so romantic?" A dreamy sigh escaped Kagome's lips.

Shippo had a confused look upon his face. "I don't get it," he said. "What's the big deal? It's not like we didn't know he liked her."

Kagome smiled at the young kit. "I know, Shippo. But there's a difference between 'thinking' and 'saying'. Just because we all _think_ he likes her wouldn't have as great on an impact of him _saying_ that he does. Because Miroku said it, we now know the deepness of his feelings for Sango. I'd feel much better when somebody I liked told me that they loved rather than me just assuming," she shot a pointed look at Inuyasha, whom seemed to be oblivious to all sarcastic statement directed his way. "It's all a matter of playing the game."

"What game?" Shippo asked.

His response caused a light laugh to emerge from Kagome. "Don't worry," she said kindly. "You'll know when you're older."

"Feh," Inuyasha snorted. "Well it's about time the stupid monk said something. I was beginning to think he was too-" he paused in mid-sentence, tilting his nose slightly into the air and sniffing a bit. He stood up tall and turned his head around, trying to breathe in all the air surrounding him.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome said cautiously. "What is it, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha inhaled once more before releasing a low growl, "it's _him_."

Shippo and Kagome exchanged confused glances. "Who?" they responded in unison, taking a step closer to the scowling half-demon.

The answer they received was nothing short of a deep rumbling in Inuyasha's throat. The rumbling quickly advanced onto a snarl. His fangs were bared and his claws seemed stiff and ready to slash.

The rustling sounds of the wind gathered Kagome's attention for the moment. She squinted into the horizon; a swirl of dust and dead brown leaves could be seen far out in the distance, closing in quickly. She tensed slightly. "Oh no," it was at that moment that Kagome caught on to what was upsetting Inuyasha. '_This could get messy real fast_,' she thought. She gave the hanyou a pleading look. "Inuyasha, please. Be nice."

"Grr, why should I?" the half-demon growled. His clawed hands balled up into fist and he spread his legs a bit, readying for a fight.

She gave Inuyasha a quick kiss on his cheek, away from the innocent eyes of the young kit. "Please," Kagome begged him quietly. "Just try to be nice and not start anything. Now really isn't the time or place." She placed a soft, creamy-white hand on his muscular bicep and squeezed lightly. In a hushed whisper, she added, "and don't say anything."

Inuyasha nodded, his growl lessening. "I'll _try_." Despite his promise, Inuyasha still didn't change his posture or stance. In his mind he knew that regardless of anything Kagome said, he would be ready for a fight, need there be one.

Kagome smiled, "thank you." She tightened her hold on his arm once more, drawing her nails over the skin, before releasing it.

At that point the vicious swirls of dust had come closer to the group and the whistling sounds of the wind had drawn Sango over, Miroku emerging from the hut only a second later. "What's going on?" Sango questioned, but her mouth formed an 'o' when noticed what had Inuyasha's undivided attention.

Miroku also understood, and trying to calm the angered hanyou, said, "remember, Inuyasha, we don't want any fighting done here. Think of Kaede and the villagers." Adding in, he said more quietly, "think of Kagome."

Despite attempts, this only seemed to get the Inu-youkai even more riled up, and before Miroku's words had a chance to fully sink in, the group heard the words, "well, if it isn't the one and only dog-breath. How have things been?" His voice seemed laced with arrogance and cockiness. The sarcasm simply dripped from the words.

Before Inuyasha had a chance to retort, Kagome stepped up and said, "Oh, we're doing fine, Koga. We're just taking a rest here for now."

Koga's smirk softened into a genuine smile. "Hi, Kagome," he said kindly. "I hope you've been doin' good." Koga took ahold of one of Kagome's ivory hands and clasped it tightly within his own, enticing a deep growl from Inuyasha. "You look lovelier each time I see you." he sighed aloud, yet to himself. "Has dog-breath been takin' good care of you? He'd better be."

"Oh, yes, don't worry about it, Koga. Inuyasha always takes very good care of me. I trust that he wouldn't let any harm come to me." She smiled meekly, bits of her pearly white teeth peeking through her lips.

Upon seeing Koga take Kagome's hand, Inuyasha's growl escalated; he hand abruptly moving to the hilt of the Tetsusaiga. "Get your filthy hands off of her, ya scrawny wolf," Inuyasha shouted loudly, baring his fangs even more.

The wolf-demon completely disregarded Inuyasha's outburst, his attention focused solely on Kagome. "I don't know," Koga said in a cautious voice, glancing towards the hanyou. "Dog-turd seems kinda weak to be protecting a beautiful girl like you. I mean I'd hate to imagine what I'd do if something ever happened to you." Koga stretched his tan arms around Kagome and engulfed her in a bone-crushing hug, holding her close to him. "I don't know what I'd do without my woman."

That was the last straw for Inuyasha. He lunged forward, gripping Kagome's arm and pulling her sharply away from the wolf. "I said 'don't touch her'," he snarled. "And don't doubt for one second that I meant it." In a flash, the Tetsusaiga was withdrawn from its sheath and was point directly at the wolf-demon.

Sango and Miroku took a step back as the giant metal blade was released. "Gees," Miroku whispered to Sango. "I've never seen Inuyasha this protective of Kagome before. Do you think something's up?"

The monk's statement was obviously not meant to be heard by the raging hanyou, but that did not go as planned, for Inuyasha shifted his head towards Miroku, and in a lethal voice said, "Kagome is mine and belongs to no one else. And I'll kill any man who dares lay a finger on her." His claws tightened around the swords hilt.

"Heh, get real," Koga scoffed. "Everyone here knows that Kagome is _my_ woman."

Inuyasha smirked, folding his arms. "Wanna bet, wolf?"

"Shut up, dog-breath. Kagome, why don't you tell this half-breed who you really wanna be with?" He took a step closer. "That way we can settle this once and for all." Based on his smiled, Koga seemed confident that Kagome would choose him over Inuyasha.

Kagome's breath caught short in her throat, causing a small sputter. She wasn't normally put into situations such as this, one in which she was forced to make a powerful decision. "Um…" Kagome's eyes glanced between the two men standing before her. In her heart, she knew exactly whom she cared for. It still pained her to know that either answer she gave would result in someone else getting hurt. It was a lose-lose situation, and she wasn't liking it one bit.

Sango and Miroku quietly shared a knowing smile, trading smirks back and forth. It seemed obvious to everyone, but Koga, whom had stolen the pit of Kagome's heart. Even Shippo could take a reliable guess.

Kagome sighed. She took a step near Koga, her hands wringing by her lap. "Look, Koga, you've always been a great friend to me. And I'll never forget all the times you've saved my life from potential danger, but…" It was becoming harder for her to get her words out. Just seeing the confident smile on Koga's face was enough to make Kagome want to crawl in a hole. "Koga…" she said sadly.

"Shh," Koga said gently, placing two of his fingers on her lips and not allowing her to finish her statement. "Don't say another word, Kagome. I know exactly what you're trying to do."

A puzzled look crossed over Kagome's features. "You do?" she questioned. Behind her, Sango, Miroku, and Shippo exchanged confused glances. Maybe Koga wasn't so dense after all.

"Yeah," he responded. "You don't have to use kind words and be nice just because dog-breath's here. I know you're trying to be kind so you won't hurt the mutt's feelings, but don't worry. If he's half the man you claim he is, then you admitting your love for me shouldn't bother him too much." The wolf demon smiled down proudly at Kagome, pulling her into a strong hug. He seemed oblivious to the uncomfortable look etched across her face.

Deep growls rumbled low in Inuyasha's throat. "You idiot," he snarled, grabbing Kagome and pulling her back. "Are you that fucking stupid?" He stepped in front of the petite girl, holding the Tetsusaiga out before him.

Koga stepped into a fighting stance, "what are you babbling about, dog-turd."

Inuyasha sighed, tired with the wolf's ignorance. "Look, ya scrawny wolf, she's not trying to be nice to _me_, she's trying to be nice to _you_. It's _your_ feelings that she doesn't want to hurt; not mine." He smirked widely, for once feeling like he won the ultimate prize.

Koga tried to keep a tough façade, but it failed miserably. "Kagome," he whispered. "Is this true?" His eyes seemed full of pain and sadness. It was a look was almost unbearable for Kagome.

She opened her mouth to speak, but before Kagome could utter a word, Inuyasha responded for her. "You'd better believe it, wolf. Kagome's mine and no body else's." Wrapping his arm around her waist, Inuyasha appeared to be determined to make his point known. Turning her quickly, Inuyasha brought Kagome's face up to his and placed his lips squarely on hers, devouring them tenderly for all to see. His tongue slipped inside her mouth for only a moment before it was gone again and his head was detached from hers. Overall, the kiss lasted about four seconds; but for everyone watching the exchange, it seemed like a century.

No sound was uttered when Inuyasha finished his ploy, only gaping jaws remained. Sango and Miroku seemed surprised yet pleased, while Shippo wasn't sure what to think. But of all the expressions, Koga's appeared to be the most pained.

With a cracking voice, he looked Kagome straight in the eyes and said, "Then I see you've made your decision." He waited for her short nod of approval before continuing. "Well, if this is where your heart truly lies, then I can't stop you. I can only wish for your happiness with _dog-turd_. But if you he ever treats you wrongly, you know where to find me." Koga gently grasped Kagome's hand in his and brought it gracefully to his lips, kissing it once, and then releasing it. He turned around to leave the village entrance, hislong ebony hair flipping behind him. Before taking off, he whirled around and added, "eh, or if you ever get tired of the mutt, I'll always be here."

Hearing that statement, Inuyasha growled and jolted a step forward, "he, you wanna repeat that , wolf!"

But Koga took off just before Inuyasha could reach him, shouting a simple, "See ya, Kagome," over his shoulder.

"The next time I see that scrawny wolf, I'll tear him limb from limb." Inuyasha placed the Tetsusaiga back into its sheath. An angry frown was settled on his face.

Miroku stepped forward and placed a purple-sheathed armover the seething hanyou's shoulders. "Ah, cheer up, Inuyasha. We've just witnessed a historic moment." An extensive grin was covering his features

"And what, exactly, isso historic about it," Sango asked with a smile.

"Well," Miroku stated, still grinning. "I doubt we'll ever be seeing Koga bothering Kagome again."

Kagome looked slightly confused at the monk's words. "But… he never bothered me in the first place."

"Yeah well, the bastard bothered me," Inuyasha added in glumly. "I don't like it when he's close to you; calling you his woman and shit…" He folded his arms rapidly over his chest, grumbling quietly to himself. "Damn wolf should mind his own business and stay out of mine."

"Ours," Kagome automatically corrected.

"Feh, whatever."

Miroku beamed to himself. "Yes, but that's the beauty of today," he said, hoping to deliver cheer to the rest of the group. "Koga won't be getting close to Kagome anymore, due to the posessiveness of our dear Inuyasha. And…he won't be calling her _his _woman."

Inuyasha smirked widely at that phrase. "That's damn right," he said in an exultant and jubilant voice. Inuyasha turned towards Kagome. "Because she's _my_ woman now, and no body can have her but me." He bent down and swooped her up bridal style, causing a short series of giggles to erupt from an ecstatic Kagome.

"That's right, Inuyasha," she agreed. "I'm _your_ woman now, so you'd better take good care of me," Kagome said in a mock-threatening tone, poking his nose with her forefinger.

"Alright," he replied. "Only if you behave."

Kagome smiled, "deal."

"Good," Inuyasha said, nodding. He had originally intended on shaking her hand to seal the 'deal,' but since he had a lovely young woman in his arms, Inuyasha opted for using a kiss to seal the deal. And so he did, igniting a longer version of what was recently played before Koga.

When he released Kagome's lips from the heated prison which his created, Inuyasha placed her on the ground to walk next to him.

"Inuyasha?" Shippo asked.

Too happy to be mean at the moment, Inuyasha said, "What is it, Shippo?"

Out of all the things the young kit could have said, the group was least prepared for the innocent words which were emitted from his lips. his child-like eyes seemed enlarged by the pure trustfulness of his voice. "Are you and Kagome going to be mates?"

**ReViEw ReSpOnSeS**

**Liz** – Wow, that sucks. You could try writing and posting them anyway. What's the worst that could happen? Or, if you want, I play the role as editor for some other writers, you could send me a copy of a story and I could fix the tenses. But hey, never stop writing. Words are forever!

**InuandKagforever** – Well, Easter Break is over and done with, and I wanna know if you've written any stories. And honestly, I'm not exactly sure how to put up an account. I think you need something called PayPal, but I'm not sure what it is. But what you could do is go to the top button that says register and just click. See how far you can go until you reach something that you don't know. And don't worry about flamers, despite all the mean things they say, some give a lot of good advice (surprise surprise). So go on and see what happens.

**Princess** – I looooovvvveee InuKag fics. But I'm not sure if I should include Kikyo. Do you think it make it interesting?

**Happygirl** – thanx for your support, always happy to have a fan.

**Hiei's Ice Maiden** – Thank you, I don't watch Yu Yu Hakusho, though, so I don't know a thing about it.

**lilreader** – Sure thing, you got it!

**Silvar** – Honestly, yeah…but I was rushing at the time and didn't feel like researching medicinal herbs. So, sorry, my bad. Maybe when I finish, I'll go back and make little changes like that.

**mary **– thank you, and maybe later on. Do I know you by chance?

**KInasha14** – I'm writing as fast as I can.

**angicakesisinuyashasluvr** – Thanx

**NoerutheHanyouInu** – oh, don't cry! I'll update soon.


	13. Questions Answered, Sort of

Hello, oh kind and generous readers. **Perky-Thief **here, once again, to bore you with the usual blabber that no one ever bothers to read. But that's okay, because it takes up space on the page. And that's a good thing.

Sorry I took so long to update, my personal life has been majorly hectic at the moment. But now that I'm trying to straighten it all out, I should be getting back to my writing ASAP.

I have a new story out now. I don't think it's as good as this one but its okay. It's called **High School Life**. It's just an ordinary story about Inuyasha moving to a new school where he meets Kagome and the rest of the gang. (I know, one of those high school stories, sorry.) Check it out if you got the time.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Questions Answered, Sort of.

Pairings: Inuyasha & Kagome, Miroku & Sango

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

"Uh…" Inuyasha froze, unsure of how to respond. He looked to Kagome for some hopefulness, but received only a stare as awkward and uncomfortable as his. A light gasp could be heard from Sango, while Miroku had to stifle a laugh. "Um, well, you see, Shippo," Inuyasha said. "I, um…" he paused, not knowing how to finish.

Luckily, he was saved from any further uncertainties by Kagome, whom said in a sweet voice, "Well, Shippo, Inuyasha and I are still dating. So I think the idea of 'mates' is out of the question for a while." She smiled kindly at the young kit, hoping to reduce any additional inquiries.

"Oh," Shippo said as if he understood. "What's 'dating'?"

"It's like…um, it's like…" she paused in her sentence. For a moment, she wasn't exactly sure what to say. Kagome knew that people in the Feudal Era never used the term dating and she wasn't sure what they referred to it as. "Hm, I'm not actually sure what you'd call it in this era." A thoughtful look passed over her face the question rolled through her mind.

"Maybe courting," Sango suggested.

"Aha!" Kagome shouted in glee. "Yes, courting, that's exactly what it is. Inuyasha is still courting me." She seemed pleased with herself for finding an appropriate substitute for the term 'dating.'

"Oh my father told me all about courting."

"Good," Kagome smiled. She seemed pleased at the idea of not explaining anything to the young child. It would just be too embarrassing.

"He did it to my mother when he first met her. And then he ended up mating with her later, and they had me."

Once again the group stood in silence, shocked at how easily their attempt to make a point turned horribly wrong. "Uh, that's not the point, Shippo," Inuyasha stated. "Kagome and me are no where near that sort of state in a relationship."

"Kagome and _I_," Kagome corrected.

Inuyasha's face held an annoyed sneer. "Will you shut up, wench? This is no time for a grammar lesson."

"_Sor-ry_," she muttered in a hushed voice.

"Look, Shippo, its none of your concern. Kagome and I aren't going to be mates any time soon, got it? So just drop it."

Shippo nodded. "Uh-huh," he said certainly.

"Good," Inuyasha grinned. He began walking even more into the village, closer to rice fields.

"But," the kit added. "If you and Kagome ever do become mates and have pups, would I be their uncle? Or maybe their cousin?"

Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks and turned around to face the child fox-youkai. His clawed hands clenched into deadly fists. "Shippo…" Inuyasha whispered dangerously, golden eyes glowing fiercely.

"Gah! Kagome," Shippo whimpered, climbing up her leg and hiding within the security of her arms. "Kagome, make him sit!" He hid his eyes behind her shoulder, not looking at the angry hanyou seething before him.

"Why you little…" Inuyasha snarled.

"Inuyasha," Kagome said sternly. Everyone froze the moment the first syllable was uttered from her lips. The preemptive hanyou braced himself for the painful slam with the ground that he expected. "Please be nice to Shippo."

Inuyasha could have fallen to the ground from the shock he received when he heard that. It was the absolute last thing he expected; he expected hard contact with the hard floor. Nobody would've ever thought Kagome capable of saying something that contradictory.

Shippo, meanwhile, had the joy of his jaw dropping nearly to the floor. "But Kagome," he whined. "Inuyasha's being mean to me." He brought an adorable little pout to his lips, his innocent eyes shinning brightly in the process.

"I'm sorry, Shippo," she said, slowly walking away. "But you kept provoking him. And he did tell you to drop the subject."

"Heh, yeah that's right." Inuyasha slinked over to Kagome and placed his arms around her shoulder. He smirked widely. "My woman always sides with me."

Kagome rotated her head to face him. "Oh Inuyasha," she murmured softly. "SIT SIT SIT!"

Swiftly and surely, Inuyasha hit the ground. "Hey! What the fuck was that for?" he mumbled.

"Well," the young miko stated, smiling kindly. "The first one was for your arrogance."

"And the other two?"

"Oh, those? They were for calling me your woman. You should know by now that I don't want to hear those words ever again." She grinned sweetly at the disgruntled demon face-down in the dirt. She clasped her hands together tightly. "Well everyone," Kagome stated happily. "I'm going to get a head start on supper. Anyone care to help?"

Sango, Shippo, and Miroku all nodded in participation and followed Kagome out into the rice fields, leaving only a pained half-demon to question 'why?'

**Later – After dinner**

Everyone was sleeping peacefully inside Kaede's hut. Sango was nestled comfortably in a spare sleeping bag located right next to Kagome's, which was currently occupied by an exhausted Shippo. Miroku lay closer to the back corner, shielding the group's weapons from nighttime prowlers. Kaede was situated merely a few feet from where Sango lay.

After assuring herself that all occupants of the hut were sound asleep, Kagome ventured outside to where Inuyasha was keeping watch. At the moment, he was perched on the branch of a tall tree, staring out into the midnight sky.

Kagome stood directly beneath the branches. "Hey Inuyasha," she called up softly.

Taking note of the young girl, Inuyasha leapt from his previous position and landed gently next to her. "You should be asleep."

She smiled. "I know. But the thought of you alone out here made me wide awake." Kagome stepped closer and wrapped her arms around the hanyou's muscular torso.

Inuyasha smirked. "So you couldn't stand the thought of being away from me, huh?"

Kagome laughed lightly, "nope. Not for a minute." She paused, staring at a star which was currently glittering across the clouds, leaving small dusty specs in its wake. "I've missed you," she murmured, glancing to the ground.

"Huh?" a confused Inuyasha said. "What are you talking 'bout? I haven't left you side for days. How could you possibly miss me?"

Kagome shook her head gently, smiling at the pondering hanyou. "I haven't missed _you_, per se. I've missed this." She leaned up and tilted her head slightly, kissing a surprised Inuyasha fully on the lips. Slowly and suggestively, she ran her soft tongue along his lower lip, silently seeking permission.

Inuyasha parted his lips easily for her, allowing Kagome the luxury of exploring the depths of his warm mouth, which she took full advantage of; pulling him even closer to her fragile frame. He carefully slid his clawed hands down Kagome's slender hourglass figure until they rested securely on her hips. When one of Kagome's hands tangled itself in his silver hair, Inuyasha drew his left hand away from Kagome's hip and brought it to the base of her neck, slowly attempting to undo the buttons at the top of her uniform.

Kagome pulled away sharply, leaving a dazed Inuyasha to stare at her chocolate eyes. "Not here," she whispered briskly.

Inuyasha nodded, understanding completely. He gently scooped her up bridal style and leapt off at an amazing speed for his forest. For some privacy…

* * *

Well there you go, chapter 13! I hope you liked it. Dont forget to read & review...

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnSeS**

**Inu-Fan-5** – Thank you.

**Drake Clawfang** – I'm glad ya liked it.

**Liz** – Oh yeah? I'm in New York, what part are you going to? Anyway, I hope you have fun.

**Inuyasha's Only Daughter** – Yeah, I thought the title fit.

**May** – Hmmm, not sure. Hopefully around 20 chapters, maybe more. Why?

**princesskitty** – I don't think I'm gonna put Kikyo in the story, so that doesn't matter.

**Owari Nai Yumes **– It really is a priceless question, isn't it? Oh, I went on the site and heard the song. It's pretty good; I burned myself a cd of only Anime songs.

**InuandKagforever – **Yay! You reviewed. And wow, this one's a big one! But that's okay, because I like large reviews (they make me smile.) I'm 99.9 percent positive that I won't be including Kikyo in this story, it just wouldn't fit. Oh, and I'm thrilled that you're going to do a story. You have to let me know the minute it's posted, got it? And I will take the kidnapping idea into effect and think about it, it sounds promising…but who knows, I also have another idea in the back of my mind that may blow all others away. We'll just have to wait and see. Hmm, I don't think I've read 500 yrs yet, but now that you mentioned it, I'll make a note of it. Well, that's all for now. I hope to see a review from you for this chapter. I know that many people will be disappointed in me for not adding a lemon in it, but I think that the last few sentences lead up to one perfectly, don't you think? Anyways, I hope ya liked!

**elena** – I get the idea.

**lyn **– Sure, why not.

**AnimeMaster168** – Koga will not be making any more problems or difficulties in the story. Although I can't guarantee him not appearing once or twice more. I may have him pop up here or there for a cameo role.

**Sakura-Chan 10-21-04** – Thank you. I've been getting that a lot lately (and I'm lovin' it, teehee.) But thank you, please continue to read my story.

**NoerutheHanyouInu** – Yeah, I love the stories where Koga gets put in his place. But it only works if there is a small conflict before hand. I hope you liked their responses to Shippo's question.

**areyouboredtoday** – I'm glad you LOVE it. But you have to admit, as much as we all hate cliff hangers, they make the story 10 time betters.

**Adrianna of the Tempest** – I do plan on having Rin and Sesshomaru somewhere in the story. I love the relationships between them. And I had completely forgotten about Ayame. Thanx for reminding me. Maybe I will include her too.

**Tragic Misdemeanors** – Thank you very much. I'm glad that you're pleased with my style of writing. If you do happen to come across anything that bothers you or doesn't seem right, please let me know right away.

**Anime-Devil-101** – :Shippo nods:

**angelc365** – Don't worry, lemons are fast approaching.

**misswildfire** – I hope you enjoyed this week's episode of Winter Wonderland, and that all your questions were answered. I definitely plan to continue with this.

**sesshouismine** – Thanx, will do!

**ShIpPoLoVeR** – Sorry, no lemon in this chapter, but in case you couldn't tell, the ending of this chappie is leading straight to one…

**CrystalJadeCJ **– Sorry I made you wait so long!

**InuKagever** – But that's how it should be. ;)


	14. A Sight to Behold

Hi guys, **Perky-Thief **here; sorry for the long wait. I've really been quite busy. But school has finally ended and now I'm ready to start up the writing bug again. Although I regret to say that not as much as when I first started, because even though school is over, I still have a job that needs tending to.

I've also hit somewhat of a writers block, and although I enjoy nothing more then using my own ideas, I really would like to hear some true feedback from the readers. So if you want to help me, you can me helpful comments, or my e-mail address if shown in my profile.

Like I've said before, be sure to check my other stories. I'm currently in the process of writing a few Disney and Greek Mythology fanfics. Keep your eyes peeled for them.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: A Sight to Behold

Pairings: Inuyasha & Kagome, Sango & Miroku

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

Wind whipped past Inuyasha's cream colored cheeks as Kagome buried her face into his left shoulder. '_Not much longer_,' he thought to himself. He had been waiting quite awhile for the perfect timing and right moment; and it seemed as though that time were drawing near.

But although his feet kept moving, his mind suddenly halted. '_What if she changes her mind?_' Inuyasha pondered. The slightly depressing thought kept blinking rapidly in his mind, as if it wanted to make a lasting impression. '_No_,' he shook the upsetting image out of his head. '_I can not think like that_.' Not only did Inuyasha not want to think like that…he really didn't want the biggest case of blue-balls since the dawn of the 14th century…

A quiet smile drew slowly across his determined face. '_No_,' came a final defiant thought. '_This _will_ be it. I can feel it_.'

Kagome nuzzled her head closer to his neck, inhaling the interestingly sweet scent of musk and metal. The complete and total desire she felt for Inuyasha had been welling up inside of her for some time. Despite all of Kagome's attempts to repress her feelings for the hanyou, she still contained a deep yearning for the stoic half-demon, a yearning that could no longer be ignored.

The two both knew that the other had had bottled up feelings for quite awhile, yet neither knew how to act upon it. So it seemed that all that was needed to set off the sparks was a simple fight on Christmas…

The snow had since depleted since that cold Christmas Eve, and now only a few whisper-like breezes were left. Inuyasha's vision was focused dead ahead, past many trees in the woods. He knew exactly where he was headed. Being there only a few times before, Inuyasha knew it wasn't the _best_ place to take Kagome, but it was one of the most secluded. Being seen during one of his 'private' moments was not the most enjoyable thing in the world.

Tightening his grip on the fragile young girl in his arms, Inuyasha felt his legs move faster through the tree branches in his forest. He took careful consideration to dodge any stray branches and sticks poking out from within the sheltered darkness of the closely knitted trees. The last thing he wanted, and needed, was Kagome to be mauled by vengeful pieces of wood…which would, in turn, lead her to mauling him. No, that was one thing he definitely didn't need.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome said softly.

"Shh," Inuyasha responded gently, "not much longer." '_Not much longer indeed_.'

An unseen smile graced Kagome's lips as she heard Inuyasha's voice. She inwardly smiled at the next idea which crossed her mind…and decided to act upon it. Slowly, she sent her tongue trailing up the side of Inuyasha's neck from the base of his collar bone up to right below his head, leaving a trail of hot, wet saliva behind in its wake. A giggle escaped her lips when she felt Inuyasha's step falter from the warm contact. Kagome knew she had made an impact; a very sensual impact at that. She was getting ready to pull the little stunt for a second time when she felt the wind stop rushing past her. Turning her head out to the distance, Kagome realized that Inuyasha had stopped running. She was left only to gasp at the location of which they had arrived.

As her eyes graced the scenery, Kagome marveled at the beautiful grove which was featured before her. A large circle-like area was stretched out to own a diameter of about 12 feet, while beautiful fresh green grass had a silver-ish tint to it from the shinning and glistening crescent moon above. Tall pine trees surrounding the serene grass served as a fence to the area, emitting an illusion of ultimate protection from the nightly beasts lurking. Miniscule white, pink, and yellow flowers sat at the base of the trees scattered about aimlessly, while the soft chirping of the crickets could be heard within them. On the left side of the entire grove, a large cave, made of a dark brown and gray rock-liked material, stood poised and positioned like a guarding solider.

"Oh, Inuyasha…" Kagome breathed. "It's beautiful. But here…?" she questioned, gesturing to the open grass. It was beautiful, sure; but Kagome wasn't too keen on being so '_open_' in public.

Inuyasha shook his silver locks, chuckling softly, "not here. Here…" He pointed to the cave resting towards his left, making sure her eyes followed the direction of his hand.

Eyes widening ever so slightly with hesitation, Kagome still kept her silence. If this is where Inuyasha had taken her, then this is where she would stay. No point in debating about it now.

Placing Kagome square on the ground, he gently took a hold of one of her ivory hands, leading her carefully into the darkened cave ahead. He could feel she was shivering, but whether it was from nervousness or the cold, Inuyasha would probably never know. Most likely a combination of both.

Once inside the black chasm, Kagome's eyes adjusted to the darkness and she glanced around, fully taking in all of her surroundings. The inside was not too big, yet not too small at the same time. Soft brown dirt littered the bottom of the floor, giving it a soft cushiony feel to it the she felt through her shoes. The walls reached up high, that being the only characteristic which gave the cave its depth. Gorgeous specks of pyrite glistened within the rock walls as the tranquil beams of the silvery moon peaked in through the cracks in the roof of the cave. A few large rocks and boulders were littered about on the floor, while still leaving enough open space for a few _curious_ teens.

As far as Kagome could tell, the cavern looked as if it had been deserted for quite some time; and although she still held her doubts, she wasn't about to reveal them now.

Before Kagome could turn and face Inuyasha, he pulled her close to him, crushing his lips to hers in the process. He drunkenly inhaled her powerfully wonderful scent, intoxicated by the sweet smell of arousal her body was releasing. Hands roaming, Inuyasha allowed his fingers to venture around all the lithe curves captivating her supple body, and Kagome made no move to stop him. Her skin felt like velvet under his fingertips as they roamed over her neck…shoulders…and down her arms…eventually connecting with her own hand.

When Inuyasha's hands had made their way down to Kagome's soft hips, she pushed herself in towards his pelvis, softly grinding him and eliciting low groans from him in return. She could feel certain body parts growing rapidly in lower areas; and the idea that she had the power to control such body parts made her grin. All the while her hands became messily entangled in his stunning silver hair, tugging slightly as her arousal grew by each passing feather-light touch.

Without so much as Kagome noticing, or caring for that matter, Inuyasha removed his hands from her agile body and brought them to the waist band of his haori. He hastily peeled off his shirt, leaving only the bottom hakama covering his lower half; however it did nothing to cover up the large noticeable bulge in the middle. Yet the moment after the removal of shirt, Kagome's hands reached his torso, stroking and caressing the inflamed muscular flesh of his chest, brushing the tips over his rock-hard pectoral muscles.

Kagome forced herself to take a step back as Inuyasha removed the final layer of material on his body. Kagome's eyes opened wide at the breath-taking sight of Inuyasha's incredible body, powerfully defined and strikingly muscular and male it made her moan aloud softly. If she hadn't been already overheated and flushed with desire, she might have blushed at her first 'real' sight of a naked male standing here in his glory before her. Just like in the story books, the sight of him _did_ momentarily take her breath away.

Feeling somewhat overdressed, Kagome undid the first two buttons of her school uniform, then stopped and looked Inuyasha in the eyes. With a tantalizing smile, she sashayed provocatively up to Inuyasha and out stuck her almost revealing chest of few inches, insinuating that he should finish the job.

He caught the hint. With fairly shaky fingers, Inuyasha gulped and worked slowly on each button of the pale blouse, savoring each bit of newly exposed flesh to his sight and relishing in the effects it had on certain…_other_…places.

Having the entire school top opened wide, Kagome shrugged her shoulders, allowing the flimsy piece of white and green cloth slide down her arms and to the ground. She noticed the look of confusion dawning upon Inuyasha's façade as he tried to figure out how to get her annoying pink bra off. With a smile Kagome reached up her fingers, beginning to undo the tiny plastic clasp in the front, but was haltered when Inuyasha's impatience pulled her close and quickly sliced the two light pink shoulder straps and front clasp with his sharply dangerous claws, causing the entire article to fall to the ground along with the uniform top.

Kagome frowned distastefully at the thought of now having a perfectly good bra ruined, but was momentarily distracted when she noticed that Inuyasha had become short of breath at the sight of her tender and young half-naked body. She smiled at the slightly pleasant thought of being someone whom could rob his lungs of air simply by sight alone.

Inuyasha could no longer take it. His rational thinking sense had been depleted and he knew he couldn't stop himself any longer once he started. He had to be sure. "Kagome," he asked her one final time. "Are you sure you want this?" He knew it was an awkward time to even think of such a thing, him being already stark naked and her well on the way.

A look of hesitance crossed Kagome's face, and for a moment, Inuyasha felt his heart sink. "I don't know…" she said softly, wringing her hands down by her skirt. "I don't know what to do. I'm not very experienced in any of this."

At that point, Inuyasha looked like he wanted to cry. "It's okay, Kagome. I won't force anything upon you. Ever." Hanging his head, Inuyasha's voice lowered an octave and his ears drooped a bit.

Kagome stepped up to him and placed her fingers beneath his chin, bringing it to her eye level. "Show me," she whispered.

"What?" Inuyasha perked up at what she had said, not quite understanding her implications. It was such an odd and vague thing for someone to outright say. "What do you mean?"

"I said…I'm not very experienced…" Her face was flushing ever so slightly more. "So show me what to do…"

"S-show you?" he asked.

Kagome nuzzled her head in his neck, her soft breasts rubbing tenderly against his bare chest. "Show me…_everything_."

"You understand what you are asking, correct? No holding back?" He hated to say it, but he had to be sure. Definitely. It would too painful if she changed her mind…

Too engrossed in blissful contentment to utter another syllable, all Kagome could do to respond was simply nod, which she did so with a heart-warming smile.

Inuyasha grinned, feeling his heart lighten. Seeing her determination and devoutness to be with him was practically his total undoing. "If you insist…" was the final logical thing he said to her that night. Losing his entire patience, he grabbed the edges of her green skirt and yanked roughly on them, forcing it along with her lace pink undergarments to the ground. A quick kick by him sent her clothes flying over towards a rock.

Mimicking his bridal-style way of carrying her earlier, Inuyasha picked Kagome up and brought her to where his fire rat haori lay scattered on the dirt bedding. Spreading his shirt like a blanket, he placed her gently on the bright red material. Inuyasha felt his head spinning; it was too intense, and the wait had been far too long…

Kagome didn't precisely know what to do, or how to please him in any way. Inuyasha knew this fact, so he decided he would take the lead, and hopefully, she would follow. He kissed her deeply, exploring the hidden chambers of her warm, wet mouth; savoring in the fact that she responded to every single one of his touches and caresses. Pushing the limits further and further, he glorified in the texture and taste of her skin with both his mouth and hands. As his devilish hands fondled her breasts eagerly, he smiled at the sight of her writhing beneath him, moaning softly for more. Placing feather light kisses in circular motion around her belly button, he slowly trailed his way down towards the heated center between her legs, the very core of her body.

Kagome surprised both Inuyasha and herself when she willing spread her legs apart for kind mouth, inviting him. But that had not stopped Inuyasha. He continued on with his venturing, stopping only to stroke the soft curls protecting her most sacred of flesh. Blowing cool air onto her budding flower, Inuyasha smiled to himself when he saw Kagome twitch in response with chills and anticipation. Spreading the petals guarding her warm center, Inuyasha carefully placed one of his strong fingers inside, touching the walls in a swift sweeping motion and running them along the sides. Moving his other hand upward, Inuyasha gently fondled her left breast, cupping the mound within his entire palm. He tweaked the nipple very so slightly with his fingers before placing his mouth to the tiny pink nub and devouring it hungrily. After a quick attack with his tongue, Inuyasha let his teeth graze sharply on the sensitive nerve, all the while relishing in the responses he received from Kagome.

A low guttural moan escaped Kagome's mouth as she felt this insane pleasure being wrought on a hanyou whom she once despised…my how the tables may turn. He explored her shamelessly and she opened herself to him, begging and willing for more, whilst sighing deeply in pleasure. Desperate now, she placed a hand on his head, needing him completely. "Please," she whispered, caressing his hair both roughly and soothingly at the same time. "Please, I need you now…"

This request brought a lecherous grin to Inuyasha's lips, one that Miroku would be quite proud of. '_Not quite yet_,' he thought to himself. He wasn't quite ready to delve himself into Kagome just yet. Removing his focus from her breasts, he brought his head back down to where his fingers were buried deep in her flowing center. Once more blowing cool air on her core, Inuyasha replaced his mouth to where his hand previously occupied, ravishing her most sensitive nerve with his tongue. Circling the area, he eagerly lapped up the warm juices that constantly flowed his way, darting his tongue in and out of her opening at rapid speeds. He sped up his movements, licking faster and faster, desperate to taste every bit of her. Repositioning his tongue only a little bit, he placed it upon her tiny receptive bud hidden deep within her core. Now touching the most responsive spot on Kagome's body, Inuyasha brushed his tongue across it in a fast flicking motion, causing her body to spasm uncontrollably at the contact.

Placing her hands on her head, Kagome felt the need to rip every strand of hair out. An intense heat, unlike any other, was rising in the pit of her stomach, seeming ready to explode. Her legs twitched and felt ready to give out, as her pelvis rose off the ground slightly, moving closer towards Inuyasha's ever moving tongue. The heat was becoming more intense and boiling, clouding Kagome's senses and making her mouth parched and dry. She wasn't sure what this new feeling was, but she didn't hate it. The faster Inuyasha moved the more extreme the liquid heat became. Closing her eyes, Kagome felt about ready to burst. Her breathing quickly became a short and unsteady pant as she felt the heat rising in the pool of her belly. Just as it felt as if the heat were about to detonate into a million tiny fragments, Inuyasha backed away, removing both himself and the painstakingly wonderful heat his mouth had been giving off.

Before she could steady her panting in an attempt to protest, Inuyasha silenced her by kissing her strong and deeply. He wanted to tease her a bit; make her last as long as possible before allowing the two of them to receive ultimate pleasure from the other.

Succumbing to the sheer force and will of the kiss, Kagome latched on to his body, pulling him closer; drinking in his toxic form in every way. The anticipation of knowing that in a few moments he would fit inside of her like a tight lock and key was almost too much to bear. Reaching her hand down below his waist, she stroked him intimately, noticing the hunger in his eyes. "Please…" she whispered.

Inuyasha smirked. He liked her begging, but enough's enough. '_I'll give her what she deserves…_' Devious thoughts of how to make the night more interesting began roaming through his mind.

But first…

Carefully, lovingly, he gently pushed inside of her, eliciting a short gasp and groan from her rosy lips. She was trembling; not from pain, but from the pure need. The incredibly exquisite pleasure, of which she felt, caused her to all but whimper as Inuyasha slowly slide in and out. She held him close, kissing whichever skin her lips would touch, knowing there was much more to come and being hardly able to contain herself for the wait.

Muscles straining, Inuyasha fought to keep control over their bodies, setting them into a slow rocking motion. Two as one; in both body and soul. Breathing deeply, Inuyasha pushed in much harder, savoring in her slight gasp and shudder.

All the pain melted quickly into pleasure as Inuyasha moved faster within her. Never could she have fathomed how everything around her could feel so totally unending with a beautiful sensation of rapture and joy. It felt serene and immoral, divine and wrong all at once. As he sped up even more her body began to shake in complete ecstasy, and almost instantly, she cried aloud as the familiar heat begin to spread in her body once more.

Hearing her cries, Inuyasha lost all control. He drove in deeply, sparing no expense in the attempt to make their body's one; wanting to fill her up with both him and his devotion for her. The awareness of her beautiful sweating body tightly clinging to him, her panting cries of delight and joy, the thought of how much pure pleasure she received from him that moment…it was all so much to endure, almost orgasmic.

Not stopping his movements, he lowered his head, placing his lips near her ear. "I am your, and your alone, Kagome. I love you…"

Kagome's mind began swimming with images and thoughts of happiness from the words he uttered. Tears glistened in the corners of her eyes and her heart began beating rapidly simply because of what he had said. She felt a wonderful consciousness of being whole. Pain no longer registered. Placing her hands on his hips, she thrust against him, allowing him deeper access to her untainted chasms. Now was her turn to allow him as deep entry as possible.

In broken untamed pants, she replied softly, "I love you as well; I have always loved you and always will…"

Heart pounding, his body shuddered with the feeling of returned love. It was nearly overwhelming. A faint trace of moisture could be seen near his eyes as he endured a horde of emotions. No one would have thought Inuyasha capable of crying had they seen this scene

His mouth was dry and he felt as if he were on fire. He had been trying to hold back his release until Kagome received the enjoyment she truly deserved, but the pleasure was unbearable now. No longer as tight as when they started, Inuyasha gave one final thrust into woman he loved. Bodies, emotions, and feelings locked together, they each cried out the others name, arching their backs as they reached a mutual climax simultaneously.

Blissfully, they laid together on the ground of the cave, Inuyasha's arms wrapped tightly around Kagome, while still inserted within her body. The only heard sounds were the chirping crickets and the slowly steadying breathing of the two teens engrossed in a passionate chain of love.

Leisurely, without a care in the world, the pair gradually slipped into darkness, welcoming the well deserved sleep their way…

**Back at Kaede's hut**

Sango rolled over in her sleeping and would have toppled onto Kagome, had she been there. Yet the sudden subconscious realization that she was alone woke Sango from her slumber. Lazily opening her chocolate eyes, she glanced to her left at Kagome's sleeping, and jumped out of her own at the harsh reality that it was empty. "Kagome?" she quietly questioned, somewhat hoping that she would walk into the hut that minute. "Where are you?"

She glimpsed around the room, and grew even more wary when the when Inuyasha was no where to be seen either. Silent suspicions slowly grew in Sango's mind. Deep down she knew what was happening; she had been suspicious of certain unveiling events for quite awhile.

Normally, Sango would not care if they were off having their little 'fun,' but the fact that both Inuyasha's Tetsusaiga and Kagome's bow were still safely inside the hut, away from their wielders. That was what worried her.

Tiptoeing across the room, Sango stepped over to Miroku and gently tapped him on the shoulder. She kept her voice low, careful not to wake either Shippo or Kaede. "Miroku psst, Miroku, wake up."

The lazy monk rolled over and grumbled a groggy, "wha?"

Sango continued tapped, now slightly harder and more forceful. "Miroku!" she whispered loudly.

Finally realizing who was standing over him, Miroku grinned widely. "Ah, Sango, my sweet. Have you come to join me for a little night time fun?" he asked, lecherous smirk pasted immovably across is lips.

Sango snorted, "Yeah, you wish. Have you seen Inuyasha or Kagome? They're missing and their weapons are here, and honestly, I feel kind of uneasy about that fact."

Miroku stretched his arms out and made a soft grunt, gradually waking up. "Why do you care? She's with Inuyasha, so you know Kagome's safe."

Hesitance briefly brushed over Sango's expression, "yeah…but still…" She stood up tall, leering over Miroku's relaxing form. She walked over and grabbed her armor and Hirakotsu and began adorning it, Kirara standing sleepily by her side. "I don't care, come on. Let's go look for them."

"Now?"

"Yes, now. Come on; let's go before everyone wakes up. There won't be any need to inform Shippo and Kaede." Reaching the entrance to the hut, Sango turned to the lounging monk, "you coming?"

Miroku sighed. He knew there was no way around Sango's stubborn personality. Reaching over to grasp his staff, Miroku grew to his full length, mimicking Sango's and the neko-youkai's actions near the door. "Alright, let us get this over with."

Grinning widely, Sango led Kirara and Miroku outside, where Kirara fully transformed, transporting the two high into the sky.

Even at such an early hour, lecherous thoughts swarmed throughout Miroku's mind. With Sango sitting square in front of him, Miroku removed his hands from around her waist and carefully began moving them towards her backside.

But before he could even make it past the curve of her hips, Sango's harsh demanding voice stated, "Don't even think about it, Miroku."

With but a frown, his hands resumed their rightful position near her stomach.

"I can't believe you, Miroku. Thinking like that during a time such as this. You should be keeping your eyes pealed for Inuyasha and Kagome, not trying to touch me." She sighed in near annoyance, half debating on whether or not to slap the monk. Stroking the fur on Kirara's head, Sango said, "Kirara, keep searching for one of their scents. They couldn't have gone far."

As if on cue, Kirara made a descending swoop in the air, declining towards the ground somewhere deep in the woods. With a graceful landing, Sango and Miroku disembarked off Kirara's back, stepping onto the dark cushiony grass and bits dead branches and leaves.

Glimpsing around, Miroku turned to Sango, asking, "are you sure they're here? This is an awfully quiet place, and there's no where they could be."

Not glancing back, Sango said, "I'm not sure. This is where Kirara took us, so they should be somewhere around here." She took a few steps deeper into the dismal forest, ignoring the bored sighs emitted by Miroku. "Let's just take a look around. It won't kill either of us."

"That's what you think…" the tired monk silently grumbled.

"Kirara, stay here. We won't be long." Adjusting Hirakotsu on her back, Sango strayed further into the black-covered woods with Miroku trailing in her wake.

It took no longer than a few minutes of walking before the two came across the familiar grove that Kagome and Inuyasha had stumbled upon only hours ago. The area still looked quiet and undisturbed; obtaining no sign of moving life.

Without so much as a glimpse, Sango noticed the silent dank cave, suggesting that she and Miroku have a look.

Too tired to object, Miroku easily agreed. "If we must…" he had said.

From the small amount of light inside, both could tell the cave was tiny; no noises were being emitted from within the darkness.

Squinting his eyes, Miroku could make out some large form on the ground near the center of the cave. "Sango," he said. "do you see that?" His question was merely to settle his own curiosity, yet he got more than he bargained for.

Copying Miroku's actions, Sango squinted her eyes. And it only a split second to come to the realization of what the large dark figure was. Stifling a gasp, Sango whirled around quickly, turning her back to the figure and causing Hirakotsu to fall to the ground, emanating a large clang as it meshed with the rocks and dirt.

**Meanwhile…**

Hearing the loud noise, both Inuyasha and Kagome awoke from their deep slumber with a start, rotating their heads towards the entrance of the cave.

Mouths mutually slack-jawed, Inuyasha's eyes widened at the full prospect of what was transpiring. Before him stood two embarrassed characters; Sango blushing with her back turned, and Miroku standing frozen yet still offering the same lecherous smile that had become identified with his name…

* * *

Well there you go guys, Chapter 14. Sorry it took me so long to write it, but at least I hope it was well worth the wait!

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnSeS**

**AnimeMaster168** – Yeah I guess I have a thing for ending chapters at weird times. I always loved a good cliff hanger, but only if I knew the answer was going to be revealed soon. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please review if you liked.

**lyn **– Your wish is my command, dear lyn.

**Inuyasha's Only Daughter** – I love it when Shippo pulls crazy little stunts like that. It's his complete and total innocence that I get to play with in this story.

**www.lovergirl12** – Thank you. Sure I can read your story. I'll send you back some feedback if I have any time.

**Liz** – Thank you. Yeah I live on Long Island. You say you were just in Manhattan? Were you visiting from New York, or some place else?

**Drake Clawfang** – Haha, yes I agree. Lol.

**Anime-Devil-101** – I hope you guessed right. Thanks for the review. Oh and by the way…I love your cheerleading skills!

**bscloveblue** – Thank you, I plan to.

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only** – I hope you got what you wanted in this chapter. As long as you're happy, I'm happy.

**inuyasha's2hotmiko** – Oh well you MUST tell me whenever you have a new story posted. I would be nothing but honored to read and review it for you. And I'm sure yours is probably better than mine. I know that lemons or limes can be hard for some people to wrote, mainly because people feel too embarrassed. But if you are truly a romantic at heart, then writing them should be really easy. Just give it a shot; I'm sure it'll sound fine when finally written.

**mishy** – Thank you, although I've never heard it being referred to as warm before.

**fluffyrachel **– Well I hoped you enjoyed chapter 14, don't forget to review.

**Youkai Koinu** – I agree, I'm not the biggest Kouga fan either. His actions tend to get me slightly agitated. Lol.

**Inu-Baby 18** – Yeah I know my chapters need to be longer…and more detailed. I should really work on that '

**kitsunetsuishi** – Thank you very much!

**wolf of raven** – Hmmmmmmm…well…I guess you'll just have to guess. Actually, now that you mention it, that is a really good idea. I just may do that in my future chapters.

**kilara899** – Thank you. Yea, I noticed a lot of reviewers saying that. I honestly didn't realize they were that short. But to please my fans, I will try to make the chapters a little longer.

**Jessi** – SORRY! But personally, I LOVE cliff hangers don't you? Well I hope you liked this chapter. Thanks for being my loyal reader!

**Aqua Gomez **– Thank you, and I agree.

**Raven 0f Azarath** – Haha, I intend to.

**Felina Noctis** – Thanks, I plan to continue it for a few more chapters.

**Ashley Berry** – I tried keeping most of the minor characters personalities somewhat the same when I wrote this story. The only tweaking I did was to Inuyasha's and Kagome's character. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter update!

**Hanyou Girl** – Yes this story was my first lemon attempt that I posted. I would seriously love as much review that you could give me. Sure, I'd be happy to e-mail you each time I do a chapter review, and I'll do my best not to forget…(I'm not the brightest and sharpest crayon in the box.) '


	15. Pathetic Fighting

Welcome back, readers. **Perky-Thief** here, wishing you well. I hope you enjoyed that last chapter I dished out for you. It took quite awhile before I had it sounding good enough without and corniness involved in the scene. This chapter is pretty much just the after-math of where we left off last time.

I want to apologize in advance for the length of this chapter, but I promise you that it will lead to bigger and better chapters. Timing is the most important element I use in my stories. Sorry :(

Well enjoy. As always I _LOVE_ any reviews I get. And also as always, I will respond back to each and every one. So be sure to write me and let me know your opinions : )

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Pathetic Fighting

Pairings: Inuyasha & Kagome, Miroku & Sango

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

A loud gasp fled Kagome's lips as she pathetically attempted to cover herself up with nothing but her hands. "Gah! Don't look!" she shouted to Sango and Miroku, both of whom abruptly turned around at Kagome's order, blushing furiously.

Scrambling for their clothes, Inuyasha and Kagome quickly donned all of their respective covering with an amazing speed.

In a protective stance, Inuyasha took two full steps in front of Kagome in an attempt to shield her from wandering eyes. With a growl tempting to rise above from the depths of his throat, Inuyasha shouted, "What the hell are you two doing here?" His tone was such that demanded immediate response, yet neither the monk nor demon slayer had the voice to speak.

Not receiving an answer, Inuyasha took another step closer, the fire in his eyes still blazing. "Answer me, damn it!" The growl had turned into a deep but low roar.

It was Miroku whom was the first to speak. "Inuyasha," he said, an obvious tremble masking solid tones. "We're both really sorry, but you have to understand…"

He was cut off by an annoyed snort from Inuyasha. "Understand?" Inuyasha huffed. Humor was laced all over the three syllable word. "Understand what? Hmm? That you barged in on us when you were so _obviously_ unwanted? Yeah sure, Miroku, I'll understand that. No problem."

"You will?" Miroku said with brightened eyes.

Sango leaned over to the monk and whispered quietly in his ear. "Uh, Miroku, I think he was being sarcastic…"

"Oh," he said, understanding dawning upon Miroku's visage. Shaking his head, Miroku stated, "Look, Inuyasha, please just let us try to explain-"

"I don't wanna hear it," growled Inuyasha. "I always knew you were a lecher, but this has gone too far…"

Sango stepped forward and in a strong voice said, "Will the two of you just shut up for a minute?" At her declaration, Miroku stopped his pleading and Inuyasha his growling. Sango glanced between the two of them, regarding them with the looks of misbehaving children. "Honestly…you're both pathetic." She then focused her attention directly on Inuyasha and Kagome. "Look, the only reason that Miroku and I are standing in this cave at this very moment is because we woke up and were worried about our _friends_ being missing. We aren't here to spite you or embarrass you. Our only motive for being here was drawn up out of concern, not lechery, as you so put it, Inuyasha. So stop acting like ridiculous spoiled little babies and grow up. Forgive us for the momentary embarrassment we may have caused, but we're sorry. Next time we'll know better not to intrude like that." She took a fleeting glance around the cave, allowing all in it to know she had finished her short speech.

Inuyasha stood in his current position with his arms folded across his chest, a smug look on his face.

Kagome, who had up until this point been silent, said, "Oh Sango, I'm so sorry. We're the one's who should be apologizing."

This statement quickly wiped the arrogant look off Inuyasha's face. "Kagome! What are saying!" Thus far, Inuyasha felt as though he had been winning this so-called 'battle' between him and the monk. And now Kagome seemed to be throwing in the towel. "We just made our point-"

"Be quiet, Inuyasha!" Kagome commanded in sharp tones. "Are you that dumb? Don't you realize the upset-ment we obviously cause Sango and Miroku? For all they thought, we could have been eaten alive by demons! Imagine feeling that way about me."

Inuyasha snorted, "But they both know we weren't eaten by demons. You're with me; that could never happen." The look of arrogance had been quickly scribbled all over his features once again.

"Well, I don't know, Inuyasha…" Miroku stated.

"What's that supposed to mean, monk?" came the responding growl.

Miroku appeared to be recalling previous events, while smirking in turn. "Well if my memory serves me correctly, you have been overtaken by other demons before. What's to say the same couldn't have happened last night?"

"Name one demon I've been overcome by!" Inuyasha challenged.

"What about your own brother, Sesshomaru?" the smirk on Miroku continued to grow with each passing word.

"Sesshomaru wouldn't have eaten me _or_ Kagome."

"Yeah," stated the monk. "But he would have easily killed you without so much as a second thought."

Attempting to change the flow of the conversation, Inuyasha then said, "That doesn't matter. I'm a lot stronger than I used to be. There aren't many around these lands that could defeat me."

"Ah, this is true. But it's also true that a good majority of your strength come from the Tetsusaiga."

"So what? What the hell does that got to do with anything?" growled Inuyasha.

"Well…" Miroku started. "Unless I'm going crazy, I believe you left your Tetsusaiga been with Kaede. A lot of good that would have done you if the two of you were attacked…" His last statement came out as a mumble, but was well heard by Inuyasha's sharp and sensitive ears.

Seeing no way out of the argument at this point, Inuyasha stepped into a fighting stance. "You wanna test my strength without my Tetsusaiga? Well then come on, monk." Inuyasha challenged.

With an ever-growing smirk on his face, Miroku challenged Inuyasha back with the same threatening pose. "Gladly."

All the while this was happening, Sango and Kagome sat back near the sidelines on a large bolder and seemed to regard the entire progressing event as nothing but a pathetic fight based on stupidity.

Kagome placed her hand to her forehead and massaged on of her temples. "Wow…" she said exasperatedly, to no one in particular. "Have you ever seen something so pointless in your entire life?" this time directing her comment towards Sango.

"Nope," she replied. "Not recently."

Kagome sighed. "This is really giving me a headache. How much longer do you think they'll go at it?" she asked.

Sango shook her head unknowingly. "Who knows; and honestly, who really cares? It's not like anything either of us say is gonna stop them anyway…"

"You're probably right," Kagome said with a smile. She glanced towards the two pathetic children still fighting in the center of the cave. Releasing another sigh, Kagome placed her hands leisurely behind her head. "Boy, I could really go for a nice bit of quiet and relaxation."

"Me too," Sango agreed easily. An idea popping into her mind, she suggested, "how about the hot springs?"

A smile spread across Kagome's face as her eyes lit up with excitement. "That's a great idea, Sango." She quickly hopped off the large bolder, Sango following suit.

"Shouldn't we let them know where we're going?" Sango asked.

Kagome glanced at Miroku and Inuyasha, still deep into the dumb argument, and smiled. "No," she said. "They'll figure it out soon enough."

Sango only grinned widely in response.

The two females slowly made their way towards the entrance, carefully avoiding the feuding men, stopping only to retrieve Hirakotsu from the brown dirt and pebbles. Without so much as a peep, the two made it out unnoticed by both Inuyasha and Miroku.

**Meanwhile…**

Shippo awoke from a long slumber to find no in the hut but Kaede. This worried him slightly; he began to feel somewhat alone. Seeking some type of protectiveness, he crawled over to Kaede and softly nudged her in an attempt to awaken her.

"Kaede," Shippo nearly whispered. "Lady Kaede, wake up."

After a moment or two, the withering old miko arose from her sleep. Seeing the young kit looking anxious near her feet, she said, "Shippo, my child, what is it?"

"Everybody's gone. They aren't here anymore…even Kagome." Tears began to well up in the corners of his big innocent eyes. "Do they not like me any more?"

A loving smile befell upon Kaede's gentle lips. "There, there, young Shippo, I'm sure they're all out gathering up something for us to eat. Come, child," she said, standing up slowly. "Let us go and see if we can not find them, hmm." Walking slowly, Kaede and Shippo made their way to the entrance of the hut and then outside.

Upon inhaling the fresh air from outside, Shippo stopped short in his trek following Kaede.

Noticing this, Kaede turned to the young kit with a puzzled look and asked, "what is wrong with ye, child? Your actions are mighty strange this morning. Is something the matter?"

Shippo remained silent for another moment before replying, "The air…"

"The air?" Kaede repeated in confusion.

Shippo nodded, pointing his head up higher, inhaling as much of the air as possible. "Yeah. It's different."

"How so?" the old miko asked.

"I'm not sure," Shippo said in an innocent voice. "It just smells different. But I've smelt something like it before. I almost know what it is…"

"Do ye?"

Still sniffing around, the kit nodded in approval. "Uh-huh! The cave where my mother, father and I used to live sometimes smelled like this."

Intrigued, Kaede prodded further into Shippo's previous knowledge. "Can ye tell me anything more about when this scent invaded the air in your cave?"

Shippo was confused more than anything by Kaede's request. "Um, I don't know. All I remember is that the night before, Father would tell me not to bother him and Mother till morning."

"Really now?" Kaede was slowly beginning to get an idea of what was happening.

"Yeah, he said I'd be in big trouble if I ever bothered them after he warned me."

"And did ye ever?"

"Did I ever what?" Shippo responded, puzzled.

"Ever bother your mother and father."

"Oh," he said, in understanding. "Nah, I never really cared too much. I was really little back then anyway. But I always wondered what that weird smell was…"

Kaede simply nodded and looked out into the distance. Though she couldn't smell any difference in the air as Shippo could, she definitely knew that something was somewhat different. The natural aura that flowed with the wind seemed to be out of place.

"Lady Kaede?" Shippo asked as she stared at the vastness beyond the forest. "Are you alright?"

Coming to her senses, Kaede swiftly responded, "Yes, Shippo, I am alright. Perhaps ye better go back to the hut."

Shrugging, the child-like kit did as he was told.

Once Shippo was gone, Kaede continued to rest her eyes out into the distance. '_Oh, Inuyasha_,' she thought with a smile. '_So…ye have finally taken a mate…_'

* * *

I hope you all enjoyed chapter 15, please remember to review. I'm also thinking about doing a sequel. Any thoughts on this?

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnSeS**

**Drake Clawfang** – Oh totally. I had to make this chapter entirely about the oncoming embarrassment : P

**Inu-Baby18** –Thank you, I try…

**daydreaminkid12** – Gee, thanks. I can only imagine; I never started to read that series, but I heard that it was REALLY good. I'm very glad you approve of the lemon. This was my first one I ever wrote; it took me a really long time to make it perfect, though I still have a lot to grasp on to.

**Jessi** – Yeah…I guess that was kinda predictable; but it was a fun type of predictable. And yeah, it is kinda funny when some people get out of hand with waiting, I've had a couple of mock threats about how many cliff hangers I put in my story…but it's so worth it, lol. And it's the loyal reviewers like you that make me try to update fast, so I promise from now on to try and dish 'em out as fast as humanly possible.

**Amine-Devil-101** – Oh I know. But, hey, its their own faults, lol. Hope ya liked the chapter

**inuyasha's2hotmiko **– Your welcome. And I will definitely read it when I get chance. I'll let you know my opinions on it when I do.

**anyonomus** – Thank you, I always try to do justice to all my characters; even the minor ones.

**girl of the sky** – LOL, sure. I'll try. Actually, I'm not even sure if I'm going to put Kikyo in this story; it might not fit in well. But oh well. And there will definitely be some Sango and Miroku action in the upcoming future, but not quite yet. Their feelings aren't quite ready to be revealed at the moment. I might do a sequel once Kagome…well I'm not going to say what happens, but I will probably do a sequel. You'll just have to wait and see. Thank you, but my story is FAR from the best in the world, and you know it, lol. (PS, its nice when some reviewers get carried away…it's funny. LOL)

**KageOkami-Kogo** – Thank you. Yes, I am going to finish it, but it has a ways to go first.


	16. Admitting

Hello readers! **Perky-Thief** here, once again. Sorry it took me sooooooo long to update. It's college season and I've been busy typing long and grueling essays full of pointless information for professors to read. I should be completely done with my college stuff by Christmas. But anyway, the point is that I have finally finished Chapter 16, and it's ready to be read by the public. And I'm dying to know what you think!

Please be sure to **read & review**.

And as always, I'll respond back to you. I hope I'm not getting too annoying with my responses. If I am, just let me know, and I'll stop.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Admitting

Pairings: Inuyasha & Kagome, Miroku & Sango

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

The winter wind had somewhat passed on, and now a soft cool breeze introducing the oncoming of spring was in the air. Snow had begun to melt and ice started to disintegrate. Birds released their beautiful voices as they sang into the morning sun, and bit by bit, some small rodents exited their burrows from hibernation. Even some of the tiny summer bugs had begun coming out of hiding. All in all, it looked like a nice spring and summer were heading towards the lands.

It had taken quite a while for both Inuyasha and Miroku to realize that the girls had, unbeknownst to them, left the shelter of the cave. Upon which, all petty fights and arguments had been dropped in an attempt to discover the whereabouts of Sango and Kagome.

With Inuyasha's keen senses and Miroku's calm and logic, it hadn't taken long at all for the two men to find the girls. But what they saw and received when they got there was another matter entirely.

Inuyasha and Miroku came to gaze upon both Sango and Kagome emerged shoulder-deep in small hot springs pool, enjoying the soothing heat immensely.

With their backs resting against the sides of the pool and eyes shut, and the steam rising slowly from random places in the water, the two feminine beauties looked nothing short of heavenly celestial goddess's.

The mouths of the boys dropped open wide at the sight of which they beheld, the air becoming caught in their chests. Neither could find the words to speak; only keep their eyes glued to the divine forms of Kagome and Sango. For many moments, they stood there, crouched low to the ground, frozen in place in awe. It was only after Miroku sneezed loudly that the two women opened their eyes and stared in fear at the peeping-toms standing in the bushes.

Not even hesitating once, Sango picked up the nearest rock and chucked it violently at the monks head. "Hentai," the angered woman shouted. "Don't you have anything better to do than spy on us from bushes?" Though said in the form of a question, it was more shouted in rage.

In response however, Miroku simply shrugged and stated, "How could I possibly have something better to do when two lovely angels are to be found bathing in the open without the protection of a man?" To this, he received another rock thrown towards the head.

Inuyasha, meanwhile, who had the sense enough to keep his mouth shut, simply shook his head in annoyance. It was bad enough Miroku had peered in on him and Kagome earlier; now he wanted to sneak a peak at both girls while they were enjoying a bath…Inuyasha would really have to place control over his mind if he wanted to keep himself from beating the monk's face in.

After a few more moments of senseless rock throwing, Miroku seemed to have finally gotten the idea into his head that the girls wanted to be left alone, at which point he and Inuyasha took their leave, heading back to the village where Kaede and Shippo were.

Having finally gotten rid of prying eyes, Sango lowered herself back down into the warm water and focused her attention solely on Kagome. "Now tell me, Kagome," Sango said softly, "I want to hear all the details about what went on last night."

Kagome blushed a rosy hue, "there isn't really much to tell."

Sango mock scoffed in amusement. "Yeah sure, like I'm going to believe that. So how long have you and Inuyasha been sneaking off like that?"

Kagome looked at Sango with her eye slightly widened. She sure was acting very strange; Kagome had never seen this side of her before. Sango was suddenly starting to sound like one of the gossiping girl back in her era, not the calm and collected demon slayer that Kagome knew. What brought this on?

Making one more attempt to avoid the entire subject in general, Kagome said "Sango, I'm not really sure what you want me to tell you. I'm not even sure of it myself." And she truly wasn't; deep down inside Kagome really didn't know what Inuyasha's full intentions were. She only hoped that she wasn't going to be a one night stand to the demon.

Sango suppressed her many aching questions for a moment and stared at the young girl in front of her, caring eyes examining her. She was only barely 16, and Inuyasha had most likely been her first. Kagome was probably experiencing so many new mixed feelings at the moment, not completely sure what to think. It was obvious that Kagome loved Inuyasha in her heart, but she also had to love him in her mind, and Sango wasn't too sure that Kagome knew that. But she had to be sure…

"Do you love him?"

Kagome snapped her head up at the question. "What do you mean?" her tone an offensive one.

"I'm not judging or yelling at you. I just want to know if you love him, that's all."

Brims of her eyes glistening, Kagome's head hung down slightly, "I don't know." Her body racked with a shiver. "I don't even know what love is yet. I'm only sixteen. This isn't something I'm supposed to deal with yet." She inhaled deeply and let out a loud sigh. "I'm so confused." A singular tear fell from her lashes and into the hot spring, causing an array of ripples from its landing point.

Sango repressed the notion to inform her that most sixteen year olds were already married with children on the way. Instead, she moved closer to the young miko and placed a comforting hand on the cry girl's shoulder. "Do you think about him all the time? Is his face and voice always in your mind?"

Kagome nodded daftly, but remained silent

"Would you die for him?" Sango continued. "Would you place your life on the line in a split second just for a chance to save his? Is the sight of him something that can make you smile no matter what you're feeling at the given moment? If the Well suddenly closed up tomorrow and you were forced out of our world, would an image of him be embedded in your thoughts for all eternity? Would he be able to rest easily knowing that you will never forget him so long as you both shall live?"

"Yes," Kagome cried a little harder now. "Yes to everything." She turned towards her friend and placed her creamy arms around Sango's frame, wanting, needing to feel some type of love from anybody at that given moment. "But what does it mean?" Kagome asked the older girl.

Sango smiled both inwardly and out. "It means you love him," she gently stroked the hair cascading down Kagome's back.

"Thank you, Sango, for all that you have told me. I just hope you're right." A small smile graced her lips as her eyes began to drift closed, all the while resting her head on Sango's comforting shoulder.

"Me too," Sango muttered in response. Now all they had to find out was whether or not Inuyasha shared these feeling with Kagome or it was an unrequited love…

**Back in the village**

Inuyasha had just gotten Miroku to shut up for a minute about Sango's heavenly beauty before he rounded in again, this time asking Inuyasha all kinds of crazy questions about the night prior.

"For the last time, Miroku," Inuyasha growled, "it's none of your damn business. So stop bugging me!" It was really taking a lot of self control to keep from knocking the monk's lights out at that very moment.

"Come now, Inuyasha, everyone needs someone else to confide in. Why not allow me that honor of keeping that title? I'm sure you're just itching to tell someone all the juicy details about last night."

"No, actually, I'm not." He stood up and exited the hut he was currently sitting in, leaving Miroku still inside. The monk's voice was starting to drive him mad. Walking outside into the open, he picked up his Tetsusaiga and began to chop angrily at some innocent fire wood resting near by.

Inuyasha had been having a brawl within himself all morning. It was a battle of mind over heart…or heart over mind. At this point in time he completely sure who was winning this battle, but it was definitely leaving him very confused. Inuyasha's heart was begging him to drop what he was doing and run back to Kagome, to his love. But his mind seemed to have other ideas; it kept screaming at him how much danger he was putting her in already. Imagine what kind of problems professing his love to her would cause. It was an added amount of stress and danger he didn't particularly need. In truth, he really didn't know what he wanted. Perhaps it had been as Miroku had said…maybe he really is in love?

But what did it matter if he loved her! It wasn't like she actually loved him in return. Or did she? A new though dawned across his features and crawled into his mind as he sat down on a log to think even harder.

Truth be told, Inuyasha honestly had no idea about whether or not Kagome felt his love in return. He could just go and ask her…but what if she rejected him? Rejected him like the way Kikyo had done so long ago?

No!

He couldn't simply ask her. His heart wouldn't be able to take the rejection.

"Wait a sec," he said quietly out loud, to no one in particular.

There _was_ a way he could ask Kagome, without really asking her…

"Miroku!" Inuyasha shouted from his place near the chopped wood. "Oi, Miroku! Get out here." He forced his voice not to sound as harsh as it normally sounded.

As if on call, Miroku strolled out of the hut, his trademark smile threatening to creep out from behind his concerned face. "What's wrong, Inuyasha?"

Striking his Tetsusaiga hard into the ground, Inuyasha walked towards the monk. "Miroku, my friend, I've decided to confide in you." His voice was almost sickly sweet with a devious smile to match it.

Miroku's brows rose, "have you?" He seemed shocked.

"Yup. I'm gonna tell you everything!" Sarcasm seeped through his words.

"Oh?" The monk was happy, yet slightly intrigued, by Inuyasha's willingness to divulge his secrets so easily.

Inuyasha nodded. "Uh-huh, but first…you gotta do me a little favor." His arms folded carefully across his chest, proving the truth in his words.

Miroku agreed easily, anxious to know all about his friend's inner demons and problems concerning his love life. "Of course, Inuyasha. Anything you need, just name it. It'll be done before you know it."

The half-demon smiled widely in satisfaction, "Good." He took a step closer to Miroku, hearing the monk's deep intake of breath as he prepared to serve his friend. Inuyasha knew the monk was anxious to hear the secret and decided to use this to his advantage. "I need you to go to Kagome and find out if she loves me." He was carefully creeping his way throughout Miroku's mind, hoping to have the monk bend to his will through sheer careful wording. If he talked correctly, Inuyasha could have the monk doing exactly what he needed him to do.

Miroku's smile slowly turned into a frown. "That's it?" he asked, the sparkle in his eyes diminishing.

"Yup," Inuyasha shrugged. "That's it." His smile was wide and smug.

"Oh," the monk said in a downfallen voice. "I thought it was something difficult and interesting…"

"Oh but it is interesting, my friend. For you see, you can't let Kagome know that I'm asking you to do this!"

This puzzled the monk. "Why can't I let her know you love her?"

Inuyasha sighed in annoyance. "Because I want her honest opinion, not based on anything I think." He took another deep breath before sharply and quickly adding, "And I don't love her!

The houshi simply chuckled. "Whatever you say, Inuyasha," he said whilst walking slowly towards where Sango and Kagome were located.

When Miroku was out of sight, Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief. A smug look stretched over his features as her thought to himself, '_Stupid monk. Can't believe he fell for it_.'

Meanwhile, the thoughts going through Miroku's mind were similar in a sense to Inuyasha's. 'S_illy Inuyasha_,' Miroku thought, shaking with head with a smile. '_You actually believed that I would fall into your little ploy…_'

Laughing to himself, he said aloud, "It was a good try though. Maybe next time you'll get me, Inuyasha."

* * *

I hope you enjoyed Chapter 16. Please be sure to review! And again, sorry for the long wait.**

* * *

**

**ReViEw ReSpOnSeS**

**Drake Clawfang** – Yeah, Shippo's probably one of my top fav's. Besides Miroku, he's the best comic relief.

**Inu-Baby18** – A priceless scene, if you ask me.

**Guardian Angel Sheena** – Let me know what you think of this chapter.

**C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only** – Thank you.

**prettywolfpuppy** – In that case, I will take it as a very honorable compliment.

**Askmewhatstrue** – Wow, thank you. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last one. And a sequel will most likely soon follow.

**inuandrave7** – Sorry I took so long to update. I hope I still have you as a loyal reader though.

**candice** – Thank you. This is my only good story for now. I have some works in progress however.

**azngirlchibi** – I reread what you talked about and I suppose she did get a little OoC for that moment, but I'm trying really hard to keep the rest of the characters true to themselves for the rest of the story. And they probably won't get to have any real time together without interruption till the very end. But don't worry; I'll make the ending perfect.

**Keiko89** – No problem!

**toobe** – He might, we'll just have to wait and see.

**Hope in the Darkness** – I really don't think Sesshomaru would ever actually eat either Inuyasha or Kagome. I just needed something to ignite the argument between Inuyasha and Miroku.

**anyonomus** – Hmm, maybe; that's a good idea. No one's ever brought it to me before.

**windgal** – Enjoy the update.

**james** – Thank you. I don't know if I'm going to let Shippo find out just yet, but he will eventually. And don't worry, there will be more lemons.

**Inuyash'sGirl** – Not a problem!

**Gittelbug** – Thanks

**Arwey** – Enjoy!

**tinky** – Awesome. I love hear people say they liked the chapters.

**crazyakiko** – Thank you much. I'm glad you enjoy my writing.

**NCchick4456** – Thanks. My story's almost finished but not quite. I still got a few more chapters to go on it.

**gal pal** – Yup. I guess I kinda fooled the readers a bit with the title, hm.

**bullseye1985** – Wow, thanks. Now I'll have to reader lyns work to compare. I'm glad I got you hooked. Keep reading! Oh, and sorry that this chapter isn't quite as long as the last one…


	17. Final Clarifications & Big Questions

HELLO, kind readers. It is I, **Perky-Thief**. Much apology to all the fans whom I have kept waiting for an update, but please forgive me. My mind has been held captive of a very bad case of writers block…but all is well now!!! This story (which was once on hiatus) is now back in action. Yay for me!

No, but seriously, I hope you enjoy it. And I really am running out of ideas for future chapters, so anyone with a good thought, please review and include your ideas. It'd be greatly appreciated.

Title: Winter Wonderland

Chapter: Final Clarifications & Big Questions

Pairings: Inuyasha & Kagome, Sango & Miroku

* * *

**Recap**

When Miroku was out of sight, Inuyasha breathed a sigh of relief. A smug look stretched over his features as her thought to himself, '_Stupid monk. Can't believe he fell for it_.'

Meanwhile, the thoughts going through Miroku's mind were similar in a sense to Inuyasha's. 'S_illy Inuyasha_,' Miroku thought, shaking with head with a smile. '_You actually believed that I would fall into your little ploy…_'

Laughing to himself, he said aloud, "It was a good try though. Maybe next time you'll get me, Inuyasha."

* * *

**Winter Wonderland**

"Oh, Inuyasha…" the monk said to himself as he walked along the grassy paths of the fields. "Hasn't he realized it yet? He really can be a coward sometimes…" Miroku sighed, running his hand through his wavy hair. He wasn't really talking to anyone in general, he was simply talking.

"Ah, Miroku," Kaede said, coming across his stroll. "Care to help me gather herbs from the gardens for tonight's festival. A frown overcame her face as she noticed the monk's expression. "What plagues your mind on this lovely morning."

"Oh, good morning, Lady Kaede. It's just Inuyasha," Miroku sighed, sitting down on a near-by large rock, resting his staff next to him.

"Oh?"

"Yes," he said. "He's acting very childish this morning."

"I see…and do ye know why that it?"

Miroku glanced around the path before continuing to speak. "Well, a few nights ago, Sango and I _accidentally_ stumbled upon him and Kagome, um, sort of…"

"Yes?" Kaede urged him forward calmingly.

"They were sort of sharing a _private moment_, if you understand."

Kaede chuckled softly, a smirk spreading across her elderly face. "It is just as I suspected. Even young Shippo seemed to notice a subtle change in the air recently, though," her chuckle became a little louder, "I doubt the child knew what he was smelling. He's rather naïve of the fact…oh to be so young."

"Yes, well," Miroku, continued. "Inuyasha asked me to find out how Kagome feels about him. Now, I'm not as stupid as Inuyasha would like to believe. I know that he only said that as an attempt to get rid of me, but I think that there may be more to his request than he's letting on." He paused as Kaede nodded and mumbled a soft 'hmm.' "Yet, that isn't the point. I believe that Kagome may have already told him that she loves him, however, Inuyasha probably doesn't believe it, or want to believe her for that matter. I mean, he _is_ very hard-headed."

"Hmm, perhaps ye are right, Miroku. But this is a matter that Inuyasha and Kagome must solve by themselves. We should not interfere with their affairs. If they are truly meant to be, then all will be figured out on its own. We had all best stay out of it and let destiny run its course."

"I see…you are right, Lady Kaede. They'll figure everything out eventually." A smile dawned upon his face.

Kaede slowly began to walk back towards the village, beckoning Miroku to join her at her side. "Ah, it seems like forever since Kagome first arrived here. I remember how she and Inuyasha couldn't even stand one another in the beginning. All they ever did was argue and fight; those two sure have come a long way since then."

Miroku laughed softly, "Yes, I remember those days. It doesn't feel like it was that long ago…actually, it wasn't that long ago, now that I think about it."

Kaede nodded, continuing her slow pace to her hut. "Ye are correct, it was not that long ago. Yet, it is a perfect opportunity to observe how much they have matured. But who knows, perhaps we may see little hanyou's running around here soon."

**Later that afternoon**

Everyone seemed to be busy bustling around the village, each individual set on performing their own personal task. It was the day of the Spring Solstice, a day that was annually used as a celebration to thanks the Gods for a safe winter. Inuyasha and Miroku stood near Kaede's hut, chopping wood for the fire to be prepared later that night. Shippo continuously ran back and forth, picking up the throw pieces of wood and carefully stacked them in a neat pile on the side.

Kaede had been more than happy to give the three boys a long list of chores to do until the feast that dusk. Her endless list included tons of chopping, the catching of fish and boar, making some repairs on the roofs of the village. She felt confident that they would be busy for the rest of the day, giving the girls a nice day off from dealing with their "tiresome" behaviors.

Kaede knelt on a straw mat, mending two beautiful butterfly-print kimonos meant for Kagome and Sango to wear later in the evening. Meanwhile, Sango and Kagome sat across from the elderly woman, organizing fresh flowers into ornate designs and floral crowns.

Much to the annoyance of Sango and Kaede, Kagome glanced to the door of the hut at every single noise Inuyasha made. Often, she would put down her flowers entirely in an attempt to walk over towards Inuyasha, but always changed her mind before going outside. Kagome's indecisiveness was slowly getting to Sango, making her very irritable.

"Kagome," Sango said loudly. "Please stop pacing. You're driving me crazy."

"Oh, sorry, Sango." Kagome said sheepishly, her face glowing a light pink.

"Why can't you sit still any way? Is Inuyasha's annoying grunting that interesting to you?" She laughed at the thought of it.

"I don't know," Kagome said. "I just want to go out there and talk to him, or at least be near him. I haven't really spoken to him since…" she trailed off, not wanting to continue as her face beamed bright red.

Kaede chuckled softly, drawing over the two girls' attention. "It is nothing to be ashamed of, Kagome. It has marked your becoming of a woman; you should be proud."

Kagome and Sango's mouths hung open a little bit, in a combination of shock and embarrassment.

"Y-you mean you know?" Kagome said, with a short stutter. Her face was now the equivalent to a fresh cherry. She brought her hands up to her face and covered her eyes, thoroughly embarrassed.

Not wanting to get Miroku in trouble, Kaede chose her words very carefully. "Dear girl, do ye not recognize that with age comes wisdom as well? I am older than most, and have seen more than others. I can see it in your eyes as clear as day. They sparkle with hope and desire…maybe even love. You are not the first young girl to have that look in her eyes. Kagome, like I said, it is nothing to be embarrassed about."

"Oh, kami. This is just great. I feel like going home and never coming back…this is so embarrassing."

Kaede laughed, "don't you listen, girl. Ye need not be embarrassed. Yet…I see something else written in your eyes besides your feelings for Inuyasha. Do you know what that is?"

Kagome lifted her face from her hands, clearly confused. "What do you mean, Kaede?"

"You don't know? Hmm, I would love to help you, Kagome. But sadly, that is something that you must figure out on your own and in your own time…"

"But, Kaede-" Kagome started.

A loud rustle distracted all of them as Inuyasha, with a large axe in his hand, came bursting through the door with Shippo and Miroku trailing close behind him. "We're done with the wood, old hag, what's next on your list?"

"Inuyasha!" Kagome shouted. She stood up and folded her arms across her chest, glaring at the half-demon through angry eyes.

"What?" Inuyasha drawled lazily.

"How can you be so rude? Apologize to Kaede for calling her that," she demanded.

"Keh, no. Why should I?"

"Because," said Kagome, "that was very mean to say. Don't you care about other people's feelings?" She stomped towards Inuyasha, becoming nearly nose-to-nose with him as her anger rose.

"Heh, sit down, wench," he said, giving Kagome a light tap to the chest, causing her to move back a step. "I can call her anything I want. You haven't been workin' all day so I don't think you have any right to complain."

"Grr," Kagome growled, clenching her fists into tight little balls of flesh. "SIT!" she shouted loudly as Inuyasha plummeted into the floor, causing a large crack. "SIT! SIT! SIT!"

"Ka-go-me…" Inuyasha managed to get out through difficult breaths. "Why?"

Kagome bent down to grab her flowers and stormed past Inuyasha, leaving him on the floor, still twitching in pain.

The others simply looked down at Inuyasha, sighing and shaking their heads sadly. "Idiot," Shippo muttered.

"Poor, Inuyasha," Miroku said. "When will you ever learn…?"

**That night at the Festival**

The red and orange fire crackled loudly as long spits loaded with fish and meat rotated slowly above it. Many of the young villagers danced around the flames to loud music, their kimonos spinning wildly around them. People chatted and drank happily, warmed by the comfort of their friends surrounding them.

Dozens of young girls swarmed around the village, offering food and dazzling the other villagers with their charms. It was undeniable that Miroku appeared to be in a state of heaven. While the monk drooled shamelessly over the innocent women, Sango dutifully chased him around, constantly whacking him with each stupid move he made.

Kaede was occupied by the large fire pit, keeping a close eye on all of the roasting meats, while Shippo "kindly" offered to taste test each individual piece of food available, often resorting to his tricks in order to get the tasty morsel.

Inuyasha sat at the base of a tree, grumbling loudly, obviously still in pain over that afternoon's "sit" incident. Every so often, he would reach up to rub the spot on the back of his head, which had initially split the floor.

Kagome, dressed beautifully in her butterfly and petal kimono, had her tied up into an intricate knot with tiny tendril curls hanging randomly. She knelt only a few feet away from Inuyasha. "Inuyasha?" Kagome asked quietly, slowly inching closer to him. Upon getting absolutely no response, she tried again, more persistently this time. "Inuyasha?"

"Grr, what?" he growled angrily, annoyed by her bothersome attempts to converse with him.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm sorry about before."

"Keh, whatever."

Kagome frowned. "No, really, Inuyasha. I am sorry. Do you forgive me?" She carefully maneuvered her body and was now sitting against the same tree as Inuyasha.

Inuyasha turned his head away, staring off into the darkness of the forest. "Not yet." His tone had become quiet and hushed, nearly a soft whisper, as if he didn't want to be heard.

"Are you ever going to?" Kagome asked, slowly starting to become angry at his continuous avoidance of her.

"Keh, I'll let you know."

"Hmph," Kagome huffed, turning herself away from Inuyasha, clearly annoyed. She rested her head against the tree as her eyes traveled to look up at the bright stars before glancing over to look at Inuyasha once more. Kagome focused intently on him, wondering what he was thinking about. If he could possibly be thinking about her.

This puzzled Kagome; even when Inuyasha _was_ angry with her, she never got the cold shoulder for this long. She wondered if something could be wrong, something that he wasn't telling anyone. '_He seems so sad_,' Kagome thought. '_His eyes are filled with such confusion. I wonder what he's thinking…_'

"Kagome," Inuyasha said suddenly.

"Yes?" she said, taken by surprise of his voice.

"Come with me." Inuyasha stood up and began walking towards the dark and shadow-filled forest. He looked straight ahead, focused on something. Without a word, Kagome followed him.

Inuyasha continued to lead them to the edge of the forest, though still within walking distance of the festival sight. The bright lights from the large fires were still within sight, and the muffled talkative voices of the villagers could be heard. But despite all this, Kagome still felt sort of lost.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said once more, drawing her attention to his face.

"What is it, Inuyasha?"

"Kagome, I know we've talked about this before…we've talked about this a lot of times, actually. And, I know that you've said that you love me, but…I have to know, do you really?"

"Inuyasha," Kagome replied softly. "What kind of question is that? Don't you-"

"It's not that I don't care about you, 'cause I do," he looked down towards the ground, twisting his foot in the dirt. "It's just that…how much?"

A look of confusion swept over Kagome's face. "How much what?"

"How much do you love me?"

"Inuyasha," Kagome said, exasperated. "Where are all of these questions coming from? I mean, I know that it hurt when I told you to "s-i-t" earlier, but it couldn't have hurt that badly."

"No," Inuyasha whispered. "This isn't about that."

"Then what is it? You know that I love you; I've told you tons of times. Heck, everyone knows that I love you; it's obvious…have I done something wrong? Do you not believe me?"

"No," he muttered once again, sighing in the process. "I overheard Miroku say something to Kaede earlier and it got me thinking. It got me thinking a lot, actually. And now there are just a few things I need to know." His brows suddenly creased and his voice rose tremendously, "now will ya just answer the fuckin' question please?"

"What question?" Kagome said, trying to honestly remember what he had said before.

"How much do you love me?" Inuyasha was clearly becoming frustrated, wanting his answer very quickly.

"I don't know," she growled back, her eyes darkening. "I've technically never "measured" how much I love you. All you need to know is that it's as much as, or possibly more, than you love me." She folded her arms across her chest and turned to stare the half-demon directly in the eye.

Upon her glance, Inuyasha turned to stare back just as intently, his golden eyes completely focused. "Do you love me enough to take me as a mate?"

* * *

Thanks guys, please **R&R**, and of course I'll respond!

* * *

**ReViEw ReSpOnSeS**

Drake Clawfang – yea who'd thought, lol. But I was actually thinking of putting Sesshomaru into this story as well. I'm just waiting for it to fit in _just_ right.

Ncchick4456 – thanks!

Felina Noctis – Yea, I know. That was a slight mistake I made earlier so now I'm trying to rewrite a few things to make it work.

InuYasha'sGirl – No problem.

angeldreamer21 – Thanks for the advice. It was a great help.

inuandrave7 – Haha! I love that you are a loyal reader (it makes me smile). Continue to read and I'll continue to write.

Dragon Verde – Thanks, it's nice to talk to another English major. Thanks for the advice.

Shiku Usachi – Hmm, well I wasn't planning to add a lot of stuff about those two…but since you suggested it, I just might.

C.A.M.E.O.1 and Only – It's coming, don't worry.

ray – Wow, thanks.

bullseye1985 – Actually, I have no idea how long this story is gonna be, or how many chapters it's gonna have. I tend to make up the story as I write it. as far as a sequel…I just wanna finish this story before I start any others.

DeathsMistress666 – Here it is!

Inu-Baby18 – Enjoy!

kaggy-chan – Thanks a lot

InuKag4EverKW – Luckily, the writers block is gone and I'm back in action!

catbaker – No, I don't want to write a sequel until I finish this story, especially considering that I haven't found an ending for this one yet. And, yes, I will be writing more to this story.

willow – Enjoy you update.


End file.
